Many students come to Ross Medical Education Center because they know they want to make a change for themselves and their family. They have often dreamed of a career in the healthcare field, but life circumstances or the demands of a traditional university didn’t allow them to begin. That’s the story for Kristin Freshwater, a Medical Assistant graduate from the Brighton campus.
Before Ross, Kristin was working at a restaurant and often waiting tables until 2 a.m. She had been going to school and working, so because of her late nights and long hours, she rarely got to see her two children. After graduating from Ross, she works part-time and gets to spend much more time with her kids while still being able to support herself and her family. She first discovered Ross through her aunt who works as a sonographer.
When she came to tour the campus and enroll, she was relieved that the admissions process was so straightforward and that the staff and faculty were very friendly and supportive. “The tour was overwhelming because everyone was smiling and introducing themselves and very welcoming,” Kristin shared about that day. She knew it was the perfect place to get started in her healthcare career.
On her first day of classes, she remembers feeling scared, but her fear quickly went away as she realized that not only the staff and faculty were there to help, but the students reached out to welcome her as well. As healthcare professionals with experience in the field, her instructors were very helpful, and Kristin loved that her classes were so hands-on. Her favorite module was venipuncture, and she remembers really looking forward to class every night during those labs. Each day she would spend with her children, and then she got to go to school in the evening with classmates and instructors that had become friends.
At the end of her class time, Kristin got to jump right in at her externship site. “It was a perfect opportunity to learn the ropes of the job,” she shared. “At my externship site I got to do injections, and I got to room the patients.” Her experience at her externship site, like in the classroom, was very hands-on. She ended up being offered a position by the site and was so excited to get to do a job she loved and that all of her hard work had paid off.
“I would definitely recommend Ross to a friend, because anyone has 10 months to go through a program versus years of college,” says Kristin. “Ross is different from community college because it’s a lot more hands-on instead of just being in the books all the time. You get to actually practice the skills you’ll use in the medical field.” The Brighton campus could not be more proud of Kristin’s accomplishments and all of the students like her that are out making a difference in their communities.