How many Ross Medical Education Center campuses can boast that they have a movie star working as the campus director? Only Ross in Morgantown, West Virginia! Much to the delight of Campus Director, Dorie Alger, Disney’s Finding Dory made its recent debut. However, even more exciting was that it came to Morgantown a day early!
As most people are aware, the movie features Dory the fish and her friends searching for Dory’s parents. Unfortunately, Dory is hampered by her lack of short term memory. To commemorate the event, students hosted a guest speaker who tested their memory regarding a variety of topics.
Tiffany Jones, Career Service Representative joked, “sometimes our students develop selective memory loss when it comes to interviewing and the responsibilities associated with working in the field. They are able to prepare and respond appropriately during mock interviews, but forget even the basics when they are preparing for and working day to day in an actual job. Choosing a speaker that could help with their amnesia was productive and comical.”
Selected for the event was Sandra Calvert, a veteran office manager from Swartzenberg and Swartzenberg, a pediatric practice in Kingwood, West Virginia. This was Calvert’s first trip to the Morgantown campus, although she has been working with career services for several months. Calvert kicked off the event with a compliment for Ross: “what you are taught in this medical assistant program is awesome,” boasted Calvert. “You are getting the education and training up front. Now it is your job to make life easier for the doctors and practitioners.”
She continued by introducing them to a day in the life of a medical assistant. She reminded students about the importance of professionalism as well as role the interview plays in potential hiring. “Be professional and don’t bring your problems to work,” Calvert continued. “Maintaining the right attitude increases the probability of optimum and consistent behavior.” Melissa Smith, a junior student in the Morgantown Medical Assistant program, shared that Calvert’s presentation was a nice reminder that you don’t “pick and choose which patients deserve more of your attention. It seems obvious, but sometimes you do need to be reminded.”
After the guest speaker had finished, students were treated to snacks inspired by the movie. They included blue lemonade displayed in a giant Dory the fish beverage dispenser, fruit scooped from a watermelon shark’s mouth, a vegetable tray featuring an octopus made from papers, and goldfish and Swedish fish dug with a shovel from a Dory sand bucket. Students enjoyed the importance of the speaker’s presentation and the silliness of the snacks. “I don’t know why anyone was looking for Dorie, she is always in her office when we need her,” remarked Raina McCracken, a senior in the Medical Assistant program.
As the event came to a close, Alger mentioned that she was out of the office the next day. When asked why, she laughed, “I took the day off to see Finding Dory!”