William Doan is the latest in a long line of $$Richmond Campus graduates who have earned certification as registered medical assistants (RMA) and found new careers in health care using the skills gained at American National University.
After working in back-breaking and unfulfilling jobs in factories for most of his life, William made the decision to continue his education after his nine-year-old son told him that he wanted to be just like his dad and work in a factory when he grew up. “I said ‘Oh no, you aren’t. You’re smart enough to go to school,’” William recalled.
When William’s son asked him why he had never gone to college, William explained that he needed to work to provide for his family, to which his son responded that financial assistance was available to help him get an education and find a better job. “I had to do it to set an example for him,” William said. “I had to show him how important college was, and I had always wanted to go back anyway.”
[img]A short time later, William enrolled at American National University where the small class size allowed him to get one-on-one attention from his instructors, including director of health care education Paula Beth Ciolek who he feels was instrumental to his success on the RMA exam. “She’s very knowledgeable about the information we needed to know to [pass] the RMA exam,” he stated.
Before he completed his program at National, William was hired to work as a field service representative for Calloway Labs, where he travels to addiction treatment clinics to conduct drug screenings. “Calloway Labs actually called the school [looking] for a male medical assistant. The career center director [recommended] me to do it and [so did] Paula Beth,” he explained.
William is proud of his new career working as part of a medical team that helps make a difference in others’ lives. “I felt like God had given me the purpose to help people, and what better way can you help people than being in the medical field?” he offered.
A- William Doan enrolled in the medical assisting program at the $$Richmond Campus after his nine-year-old son told him he wanted to be a factory worker just like his dad.
B- William is shown with director of health care education Paula Beth Ciolek, whose instruction helped him earn the valuable RMA certification.
