“After I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Going right on to college—and working in healthcare—were definitely not in my plans. It was my mom who pushed me to further my education.
Both of my brothers had gone to Belmont College, one graduating with a civil engineering degree and the other as a registered nurse. I knew the campus, it was close to home, and they offered a phlebotomy program, which I thought would be a good fit for me. With all that, the choice was easy.
Throughout my time at Belmont, all the instructors and staff were so nice and extremely helpful. A lot of the coursework was hands-on; in phlebotomy class we actually practiced drawing blood, which had me nervous at first, but I soon got the hang of it. About a month before I graduated last year, I started working as a phlebotomist at Ohio Health Southeastern Medical Center. It was both exciting and scary; I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But after a year, I truly love everything about my job—especially my patients.
Just as my mom had steered me toward studying phlebotomy, my grandmother influenced another big decision. She’d passed away just before I graduated from Belmont. While I’d been helping to care for her, she told me I’d be good at working with patients. That advice has inspired me to go back to school to become a registered nurse. I’m excited to find out what the future has in store for me.”