Picture Yourself Here: Theresa Elliott

Medical Assistant Technology

Schoolcraft High School graduate Theresa Elliott knew she wanted to train to work in the health care field and she was able to hone in on her interests as a student in Kalamazoo Valley's Medical Assistant Technology program.

She is already employed fulltime in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic at Bronson Methodist Hospital in downtown Kalamazoo. Her job responsibilities include calling the patient back to the exam room, recording their vital signs, asking relevant questions about their pregnancy as well as medication and allergy information, putting in orders for ultrasounds and making sure everything is documented properly.

"I made the decision to come to Kalamazoo Valley Community College because it allowed me to start taking classes while still figuring out exactly what I wanted to do, but not having to worry about extra expenses that come along with four-year universities," Elliott said. "I chose the MAT field because I knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but wanted to work in an office setting rather than the hospital setting and have an established work/life balance that working in the office can allow."

The fact that her instructors are so easy to approach has impressed Elliott. She has also enjoyed building on her skills as her training progresses. "I've enjoyed learning the different aspects of an MA's scope of practice and being able to see what I enjoy the most during the course of each semester," she said.

For her, everything fell into place once she discovered where she was most comfortable. "This program taught me that once you find out what you want to do, the rest is easy," she said.