As 2020 has shown us, jobs in healthcare are some of the most important jobs out there. We at American National University seek to give students the opportunity to reach their goals in having successful careers in health care. Meet Serena Brooks, a graduate of our medical assisting program.
Though she had other occupations before attending American National University, she always wanted to work in the medical field. She decided to go back to school to become a medical assistant. One of her biggest influences behind going back to school was her children. She wanted to prove to them that its never too late to go back to school. “They were like ‘Mom, you’re too old to go back to school!’ and I said ‘No, you’re never too old to go to school.’ I wanted them to look back and see me as an inspiration for them and make them go further [in their education] after high school.”
When attending American National University, Serena enjoyed the small class sizes and appreciated the help she received from her instructors. For her externship, she worked with University of Virginia where she worked her first job as a medical assistant.
Today, Serena works for a nonprofit organization, Central Virginia Health Services, as their registered medical assistant (RMA), where she sees a large number of clients whose needs vary greatly. “We see everyone from pregnancies to 99-yea-olds. Her hands-on training at American National University gave her the skills she needed to thrive in her job as a medical assistant. For example, she mentioned how when she first attended ANU, she had trouble drawing blood. Now, after graduating from the medical degree program, she is a professional, even getting compliments from the patients she serves and loves to meet. “Some of [the patients] say, ‘You’re real good at [blood drawing], you can take my blood at any time!’”
Serena is happy with her job and hopes to further her education and become a registered nurse.
