What motivated you to become a medical assistant?
What motivated me is the chance to work with patients in a clinical context.
Why did you choose Vanderbilt?
I chose Vanderbilt because it is a secular institution in Nashville with an ethical and moral creed that aligns with my own.
What did you like most about the Medical Assistant Program?
What I like most about the MA Trainee Program is that Vanderbilt pays us to learn and earn our certification.
What is the most important lesson you learned in the program?
The most important thing that I have learned in the program is how vitally important positive patient interactions are. We essentially become the face of VUMC for the patient when we become MAs, and that patient's impression of VUMC will largely be their impression of us. So we have a responsibility to treat them in the best way possible while recording the most accurate information for the doctor.
What advice would you give a future student?
Stick with it! It can feel like a very long and bogged down process at times, but stick with it and eventually you will earn your certificate and be on your own. And even if you may not be using all of the knowledge we learn in your actual job, you will be a much better MA because you have this knowledge.