Chloe James: Finding Passion and Purpose in the U.S.
Chloe James left her home on the island of St. Lucia to come to the United States to live with her father eight years ago. She was brought here to help out with her siblings and to find a “better life.” But she didn’t quite know what that would look like at first. When Chloe came to Washington state, she found work as a private caregiver for the elderly, and that opened her eyes to a rewarding career path.
“I started out in private care giving for a family friend and that made me realize how much I love helping people,” Chloe shares. “I was like, ‘Okay, I love doing this.’ But I knew I could only go so far with caregiving.”
Hoping for the next one-off job wasn’t going to be enough, so Chloe began to research healthcare career options. But she was hesitant. She knew she couldn’t take years out of her life to study. She pressed forward and continued to search for programs that might help her break into health care more quickly. When she stumbled upon the healthcare programs at Charter College’s Lacey, WA, she thought she had the solution.
“When I compared schools, Charter College stood out. They told me I could complete my Medical Assistant certification in as few as 10 months, along with an externship for real-world experience,” Chloe says. “Other programs were a year or longer, so Charter just made more sense for me.”
A Hands-On Education and a Sense of Community at Charter College
Chloe describes her time at Charter College as one of the best educational experiences she’s ever had. The instructors, classmates, and the hands-on labs all helped her gain the experience she needed to thrive. She found such success in her certificate program that she went on to attain an associate degree in Medical Assistant with Charter.
“The community at Charter is so awesome. Everyone was super helpful in the classroom and the labs,” Chloe explains. “We built real friendships. Even now, some of my classmates call me ‘Auntie,’ and I call their kids my nieces and nephews,” she laughs.
Chloe says that her instructors were also a big part of her success. She describes them as always willing to help and further explain topics if any student needed more assistance.
“They always reminded us that we’re in the medical field dealing with real people,” she explains. “They let us know now was the time to get any questions answered so we don’t make mistakes in the clinic.”
With classroom instruction and lab practice behind her, Chloe completed her externship at Olympia Multispecialty Clinic in the gastroenterology department and was offered a job immediately after. While she was grateful for the opportunity, she realized that specialty care didn’t give her the hands-on patient interactions that she craved. Chloe was ready to take the experience she gained to a new clinic that better fit her dream.
A Network That Works for You
With the help of Charter College’s Career Services department, Chloe connected with a local health clinic and landed a job. And when she got there, she was met with a pleasant surprise!
“The person who posted the job was actually a Charter graduate who’d been working at the local health clinic for a few years,” Chloe says. “I reached out, and we connected instantly. He was a huge help in getting me that Medical Assistant role.”
That sense of community and shared purpose was something Chloe felt from the moment she started at Charter College, all the way through her program, and right to the doorsteps of her new job.
Lessons That Last a Lifetime
Now working at the local health clinic, Chloe continues to draw on the skills and values she developed at Charter.
“One of the biggest lessons I learned is to always ask questions,” says Chloe. “Our instructors made it clear: This is health care. You’re dealing with people’s lives. There’s no shame in double-checking or asking for help.”
Chloe even takes the time to educate new employees at her clinic, checking in on their progress, seeing if they have questions, and just asking about their overall well-being. She credits Charter for fueling her desire to learn new skills at her job, and to anyone considering the medical assistant field, she has this to say:
“Go for it. Don’t overthink it. Don’t hesitate. There’s a reason you’re looking. Just go for it. You’ve got this,” says Chloe.
Do you want to hear more about our amazing Medical Assistant graduates and instructors? Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more!