Article Contributed on: 6/24/2008 12:21:35 PM
By Rachel Brand For Xiomara Rocha, it was the end of 16-hour workdays. For Alison Castro, it was the start of a new life. Both women graduated Friday from Pima Medical Institute. Rocha, certified as a pharmacy technician, will no longer have to balance a full-time sales job with night school. Castro, now a certified veterinary assistant, can work in a field she loves. "It was challenging, but I did it," said Rocha, 32, echoing a sentiment felt by most of her 156 fellow graduates at the ceremony. Pima Medical Institute trains and places students in medical careers. To enter the program, students must have at least a high school education. Programs range from nine-month studies for medical and pharmacy assistants to two-year degrees for radiography, respiratory therapy and opthalmic medical technology. The school sends some 500 new medical personnel into the Colorado job market each year. Most meet with quick success. Employment for dental assistants, for instance, is expected to grow 29 percent from 2006 to 2016 as dentists spend more time performing complex work, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Graduates can expect starting salaries ranging from $9 to $15 an hour, and as they gain experience salaries rise quickly. Perhaps more significantly, graduates find job security in a field they love. "We all walk out of here with a unique skill set: we can be the answer to someone else's problem," said graduate Zach Quimby, 26, to the audience at the ceremony. Quimby will work as a respiratory therapist at the Children's Hospital. "We get to help people," he continued. "That's pretty tight. You don't get that with a MBA from Harvard." Rocha, 32, entered Pima's pharmacy technician program after working as an airline customer service representative and in community outreach for the Los Angeles Police Department. She undertook Pima's nine-month night program while working days at Coach America. She learned how to compound medicines, count pills, prepare mixtures and decipher physicians' scrawl. The math was challenging, she admits, but not insurmountable. She wants to work at a retail pharmacy while continuing to study to become a pharmacist. "After 14 years in customer service, this is something I really want to do," she said. Alison Castro, a mother of five, previously worked in Albertson's pharmacy warehouse. The medical terminology on shipping boxes - and a love of animals - inspired her to study veterinary medicine. At Pima, Castro learned how to assist with animal x-rays, draw blood and set up intravenous therapy. She so enjoyed her internship at Harrison Memorial Veterinary Hospital that she cried when it ended. "I loved it," Castro recalls. Many Pima students formerly worked in sales and customer service, said Aimee Michaelis, an instructor in the college's medical administrative assistant program. They turn to Pima for something more. "They feel a need inside," Michaelis said. "It takes a special person to help someone who is sick and doesn't feel good." And while they are hungry for education, some have to overcome internal obstacles. "They may have been told they won't be successful," Michaelis said. To counter such fears, the family-owned school treats its students like family. Career counselors work with students to find the field that fits their interests. Instructors blend hands-on experience with role-playing and book learning. As a result, the students quickly see how to apply their knowledge and build confidence. Michaelis added that a Pima degree can lead to further career development. Some students train as emergency medical technicians or nurses, their continuing education paid for by their employers. "Pima is a jumping off point for a lot of different careers," she said. "It's a great way to get started in the medical field."