Aleah Harris

Did anyone ever oppose your career plans when you were young or push you in a direction you did not want to go?

One of my parents was very strict and old fashion and did not approve of my going to college or into nursing. My parent wanted me to get married and be a stay at home wife and mother. While my parent meant well, this is not the life I envisioned for myself and try as I might, I was never able to convince myself I would be happy in the life my parent wanted for me. I ended up having to move out and get my own place to be able to go to college and pay my way through by working one, two, and even three jobs throughout school. While it was a struggle to do this, I am so glad I did! I now have my associate and am almost done with my bachelors. When I moved out and got my first big-girl job four years ago, I made $10 an hour and had to work six days a week to make ends meet. After putting myself through college (just after my associate), I am now making well over twice that amount of money and only working four days a week. College is the best thing I have ever done for myself and I encourage others to give themselves the gift of a college education as well. Yes, it is difficult while you’re in the midst of working and going to school, but it is only for a short time and if you don’t go to school, you may have to work hard for little pay your entire life. A college education helps you get the career you desire, rather than just a job at wherever is hiring.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

My grandmother is an RN and I’ve always admired her and wanted to be just like her. I knew from the time I was about four years old that I wanted to go into nursing! I originally planned to my my associate as an RN, just like my grandma. Due to college program schedules, my job, and family issues, I ended up getting my associate as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (we do many of the same things as nurses but work almost entirely in clinics). I am now pursuing my Bachelor’s of Health Science which is further than I ever dreamed of going. I started out as a Nurse’s Aide in a Skilled Nursing Facility, when I was 20. I was terrified to dip my toes into the water of healthcare/nursing for the first time for fear that my long held dream would not be what I had hoped for and I’d have to pick an entirely different career path. However, I was in love with nursing from day one and have been pursuing it ever since! Sometimes when you know, you know!

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

As the Team Lead at my clinic a lot of my day consists of doing research on patient’s past medical history to help my staff fill out charts for patient’s appointments, auditing charts to ensure all documentation is complete and correct, refilling prescriptions, calling patients back to answer questions sent in over the patient portal, completing prior authorizations for medications, reviewing lab results with patients, ensuring patients are up to date on appointments and required testing, training new staff, and sending emails detailing correct policies and procedures when there are issues with staff performance. However, before I was the Team Lead, I had more of a typical Medical Assistant role which consisted of rooming patients (taking vitals, gathering medical, surgical, family, and social history, updating medication and allergy lists, etc.), doing testing, giving injections, drawing blood, treating allergic reactions, cleaning exam rooms, and more! What type of skills you use really depend on what kind of practice you work in. For example, I drew blood multiple times per day in family practice but don’t draw blood at all in the allergy and asthma specialist’s office I currently work in. However, I perform allergy testing here, which I probably wouldn’t do anywhere else! In primary care I did EKG’s (electrocardiograms) and in allergy and asthma I do PFT’s (pulmonary function tests). The good news is, you are taught most skills in clinicals and can learn any new ones needed for a certain specialty from experienced nursing staff on the job!