About

“It’s very unique – I love it here!”

Dayton Area Campus medical assisting graduate Kimberly White had been a pharmacy technician for six years when she decided she was tired of the retail environment. Wanting to stay in the medical field, she looked at some colleges in the area but was impressed by National’s responsiveness–an admissions representative was available to talk to her the first time she called.

That personal attention was not something that went away after she enrolled, however. When asked if she had any favorite instructors, her response was immediate: “[Director of Healthcare Education] Grace Haines. Grace Haines is wonderful, she has helped me so much…if it hadn’t been for Grace, I may not have finished up the course.” Now that she’s out working in the field, Kimberly has teamed up with Grace yet again, this time as an instructor in the medical assisting program.

I’m kind of doing everything!

Like many National graduates, Kimberly was hired at her externship site after proving she had what it took for the real world. As a medical assistant, she sees both aspects of practice operations, administrative and clinical. “I do the front office–schedule patients, make appointments,” Kimberly says. Depending on the workload for the day, she also takes vitals and does lab work. “I’m kind of doing everything.”

She also enjoys the distinctive approach her employer takes to medicine. “We’re a whole-family family practice, so everyone living in the household has to agree to see one of our docs,” Kimberly explains. “You see the mom come in as she’s pregnant, then the baby’s born, and then you see the siblings.” The “family” aspect also has some unexpected dynamics. “The whole family interacts,” Kimberly says. This can be significant if one family member is not following their treatment plan to the letter. “They’ll tell on each other–usually it’s the husband and the wife snitching on each other,” she says with a chuckle.

“It’s a very different medical situation than I had ever experienced before.” “It’s very unique – I love it here.”