After graduating from the $$Richmond Campus and becoming certified as a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA), Ashleigh Pugh feels ready to handle any challenge that comes her way working in the rehabilitation department of Baptist Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates. “RMA’s are so diverse that you need to know how to assess the situation and handle the situation, and you just have to be prepared,” Ashleigh explained. “When the doctor orders something, you have to do it.”
In her work, Ashleigh teaches patients with lung disease how to live a healthy life. “We basically educate them on everything they need to know about lung disease–nutrition, oxygen, infection control, doctor visits, and emergencies and when to call 911,” she said.
[img]While her job includes administrative and clinical work, she particularly enjoys the time that she spends with her patients during their rehab sessions. “Paperwork is okay, but I’m a people person,” Ashleigh said. “The great thing about this [job] is that I actually get to build a relationship with the patient. It’s not fifteen minutes in and out. I get to spend two hours with them every day.”
Ashleigh has had a desire to help others for as long as she can remember. She was considering enrolling in a certified nursing assistant (CNA) program when she first visited American National University, but her admissions representative told her that she was a perfect candidate for the medical assisting program. “She saw my potential,” Ashleigh recalled. “And she was right.”
At National, Ashleigh found the learning environment that she needed to excel in her program. So much so, that she was given the Leadership Award during the campus’s commencement ceremony that was held in April. “I got to build relationships with my teachers and my classmates. I got to be a leader somewhat, because I got to show my true potential, and people were actually encouraging that,” said Ashleigh. “I got a really good education, because I had teachers who were passionate about what they were doing, and what they were teaching, and passionate about the students.”
A- Ashleigh Pugh was hired as a registered medical assistant by Baptist Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates after graduating from the $$Richmond Campus.
B- Ashleigh Pugh educates her patients with lung disease about how to live healthy lives.
