About Us
MEA American Heart Association Courses
Our Team & Core Values
Started in 2010, the mission for Medical Education Angels has always been to teach in a fun and supportive way. We believe this kind of atmosphere inspires the greatest learning and growth in our students. Over the last 10 years we have certified more than 10,000 people throughout the San Joaquin Valley and SLO county. I am truly blessed to have instructors who absolutely LOVE what they do and people behind the scenes that help everything run smoothly. Most of all, THANK YOU for considering us for your class and a special thanks to everyone who spreads the word about us.
Vilate Bolanos RN
The first 15 years, Vilate worked at Memorial ICU and Bakersfield Heart Hospital ICU/CVR, and as house supervisor and in clinical education where she began teaching ACLS . After leaving for a few years of Interventional radiology and even aesthetics, she returned to Heart per-diem for another 5 years in education. She loves nursing, teaching and taking classes just for fun! She spends her personal time, loving on her 2 college-aged kids, fur-babies, and sneaking off to the beach whenever possible.
- Active CCRN certification >20 years
- 2020 Board Certified Conscious Sedation
- 2023 Board Certified Nurse Coach
- 2024 Board Certified Holistic Nurse
- 2024 Reiki Practitioner Level II
Latest Education
In addition to being on top of the AHA’s most current guidelines, all of our equipment feature real-time audio and visual feedback devices so you know what it takes to be effective in your skills.
Apps we use
Apps that we use and love: AHA Guidelines on the GO, Pulse Point, AED finder, AHA CPR & First aid, Full code pro, Pro Metronome, Dart SIM. Tell us your favorite!
Registered Nurses
All of our registered nurses have an acute care background. this means they have all worked in hospitals and assisted in codes. This means that no questions are off-limits.
Our Trainers
Kat Kohler RN, NP-C
NRP, BLS, HS/FA
She began her career at Memorial and is the greatest reference on all things baby and child ever! Kat has taught neonatal resuscitation (NRP) and BLS for Medical Education Angels since 2012. She has more than a decade and a half of Labor and Delivery experience and currently works as a Nurse Practitioner in pediatrics. She is truly a gifted practitioner and is loved by her patients and their parents. She has 2 absolutely adorable boys who love acting and keep her busy.
Mindy Hixon RN, BSN
BLS, ACLS, PALS, HS/FA
Mindy began her career at Heart Hospital in the telemetry department before moving to the ICU. After gaining a few years’ experience there, she began side work in the interventional radiology suite and eventually tried OPS and PACU. She is upbeat, fun, and will keep you laughing during your class while making sure everyone learns! In addition to her great sense of humor, she has a huge heart and cares for those in her classes. She is the right hand and actively participates in helping to run MEA. In addition to her passion for education, she has a deep interest in naturopathic/herbal/plant medicine, supplements, is super crafty, an amazing cook, and runs the family farm. She also has 2 very sweet and beautiful girls.
Julie Atkin RN
BLS, ACLS, PALS, HS/FA, Basic Dys.
She began her career with 8 years in the ICU at Memorial Hospital. After 3 little ones, she tried some school nursing before MEA snapped up her! She is one of those people who instantly puts you at ease. She does not hesitate to get on the floor with you and help you until you feel confident! She currently balances her time between teaching for MEA, working for KMC Surgery Center, and loving her 3 kiddos.
Jenny Ayers-Freeman RN
BLS, HS/FA
Jenny began as a dialysis nurse and then gained nearly a decade of experience as an RN in telemetry/DOU before transitioning to working in the interventional radiology suite. We convinced her to teach with us in 2020 and haven’t let her go. In 2023, she moved to teaching the next generation in health careers through the CTEC program with the Kern High School District. She is an incredible human being. She will help you with the content and practice with you until you feel good with your skills. Her kiddos are young adults, and she rides her horses whenever possible.
Lindsey Muir RN, BSN
BLS, ACLS, PALS, HS/FA, Basic Dys.
She has more than decade experience in telemetry before branching out to gain experience in a busy PACU and Cardiac Center. Her love of education eventually won out! She currently works in education at KMC and when we can convince her, with us! She has the kindest spirit and makes everyone feel more empowered. She has a lovely family and 2 adorable daughters and a son who keeps her on
the move!
Danielle Hurt RN, BSN
BLS, ACLS, PALS, HS/FA
Danielle began her career with 3 years of bedside Tele/Neuro before transferring to the Emergency Room, where she spent 7 years between Mercy and KMC. After life got crazy, having 3 boys in 5 years (brave, right?), she moved to OPS and imaging at CBCC. We are so excited to have her teaching with us! She is nice and truly wants to a empowering others through education. She has amazing stories from all the years in the ER, and we can’t wait for you to get to know her.
Anica Bolanos
BLS, HS/FA
Anica helps with BLS classes, skills, and teaches Heartsaver CPR, Basic First Aid, and Friends and Family CPR. She has 4+ years of work experience as a dialysis technician II, where she gained incredible assessment and cannulation skills, as well as developed her nursing intuition. She will be an RN in just a few months, and we will probably have to share her with a hospital job. We have watched her grow up and can’t wait to see her get her wings!
Kelsey Forsythe
HS/FA Babysitter Bootcamp
Kelsey is the office wizard, but she is also a medical assistant and worked full-time in an infant/child day care for 5 years. She came to us in 2025 and has been amazing at helping run MEA. She takes care of scheduling, handles the text, emails, bookkeeping, and everything in the middle. She has a great smile and sense of humor, and no, we aren’t sharing her. With her background as a medical assistant and day care provider, Kelsey was a natural choice for running Babysitter Bootcamp for students aged 12-18 years old.
Teaching in a fun and supportive way
THANK YOU for considering us for your class and a special thanks to everyone who spreads the word about us.
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