Growing up, Dani Torres’ mother was very sick and struggled to find the proper medical care. This sparked her passion for serving people in the medical field from a young age to help ensure that her patients would always find support and a listening ear in her and not have to go through what her mother had experienced.
Torres graduated from West-MEC’s Medical Assisting program in 2020 and received her Registered Medical Assistant credential in June of the same year. Now, Torres is a medical assistant at Adelante Healthcare, where she interacts with patients, checks their vitals, and updates their medical history. She is also responsible for prescription refill requests.
Starting a position in the medical field amid the pandemic isn’t an ideal start for a medical assistant, but Torres was ready and made the most of her opportunity.
“The program prepared me very well for what I would be going on to do in the field. In my first job, I was doing tasks that I had done at the program, and this made the transition easier,” said Torres.
Being patient and empathetic is something Torres learned along with all of her technical training. As much as being a medical professional is being prepared, knowledgeable, and professional, it is equal parts being able to connect with your patients and make them feel at ease.
“It helps me because I do have patients going through some very hard things, and empathy helps me serve my patients well,” said Torres.
Medical assisting jobs are in high demand, especially since the pandemic began as there were countless nursing shortages and hospitals that were over-capacitated. Now is the time to pursue the field, if interested, as they are constantly hiring. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assisting positions have some of the highest employment rates when compared to other professions.
Torres believes that one should pursue the field if interested in a stable career where helping others comes first.
“Currently, companies are looking for and are eager to work with new MAs,” said Torres.
Torres plans to pursue her Associates in Arts and Sciences through a local community college. She hopes to become a medical coordinator or supervisor in the future. For now, she is happy to be able to help others and give support to her patients as she had always dreamt of doing.
