Desirae Beltran graduated from the Medical Assisting program at 黑料不打烊, Albuquerque, in April of 2022; she is now studying for her associate degree in Health Studies. Bonnie Nolen, Program Director for the Medical Assisting program, nominated Desirae because of her excellence and dedication as a student. 鈥淒esirae is strong student who has overcome many obstacles,鈥� Bonnie explains. 鈥淪he is a single mother of three teenage girls, each of whom need her attention, care, and support: her oldest has high special needs; her middle child is facing a troubling time in life; and her youngest鈥攁lthough helpful to her鈥攕till needs her attention, too. Approximately 60% of her time is spent with her oldest daughter with special needs.鈥� Bonnie noticed that despite all the responsibilities Desirae had at home, she also made school a top priority. 鈥淪he often stayed up late into the night and early morning get her schoolwork turned in,鈥� Bonnie says. 鈥淪he made sure her attendance was excellent during school and externship, along with making sure her girls were taken care of.鈥� Desirae鈥檚 priority is still her children; in the meantime, she continues building her knowledge and education for her career.
What did you do before enrolling in the Medical Assisting program?
Before enrolling, I worked for eight years as an educational assistant, teaching life skills to children with high needs. My daughter has high needs; she is medically fragile, with cerebral palsy and microcephaly; because I鈥檓 used to caring for her and have always taken care of kids with high needs, it felt natural to work with people with higher needs. My externship was in neurology, and because of my daughter鈥檚 needs and the lifetime of knowledge I have gathered while caring for her, it was very interesting to me. It felt like a natural progression to work in the medical field.
How did you hear about the Medical Assisting program?
Well, it was the first thing that popped up when I did a search, and I stopped searching! Their program fit my needs and schedule: it was offered online and in person, they had classes at night, and as a single parent, their hours fit mine. I was in person twice a week and being online was no problem for me; I was used to it.
What is your favorite part of the program, and what has been the most challenging?
My favorite part was being in class with others and hearing their perspectives on things; seeing what they brought to the classroom from all different walks of life was beautiful. It鈥檚 amazing to have twenty people come together with the same goal, to all have that connection; we worked together beautifully, and I felt so at home. I still go back to visit my instructor and director; they feel like family. The most challenging part for me was dealing with the age difference between me and the younger students. I鈥檓 a little slower learning things than the typical 18- or 19-year-old student. Sometimes I noticed that younger students didn鈥檛 take it as seriously or even quit; that was really disheartening for me, because being in the program was a very serious commitment for me. It was a life change, something I had to balance with single parenthood and my kids鈥� needs, laundry, dinner鈥攔eal life struggles. When some students don鈥檛 take their commitment to education seriously, it affects the entire class鈥攁nd the instructor.
Where did you do your externship? Can you tell us a bit about that experience?
I did my six-week externship at a trauma hospital in New Mexico; it was exhausting but life-changing for me, I think I was the first student that had done an externship in that department; probably the first in the neurology department.
Where do you hope to work upon graduation (when will you graduate)?
I鈥檇 love to work at UNM Southside hospital because I鈥檇 love to be minutes from my home. I鈥檇 prefer working in pediatrics; working with adults is great but being that I came from working in the schools, kids tend to be easier to work with and warm up to you; I find it鈥檚 easier and more natural for me to connect with kids.
Do you have any words of advice for those just beginning their program or for those not sure about whether to enroll?
My words of advice: communicate with everyone there; don鈥檛 be timid. If you are going through challenges, let them know. It might seem intimidating at first but once you open up to your instructors and classmates, you鈥檒l find support. Life happens; I had personal and life events happening when I was in the program and I wanted to be private. I felt overwhelmed, but once I stopped that and decided to communicate and get support, things improved; they helped me, they understood. Letting them in helped them help me鈥攁nd helped me finish school. For those not sure whether they should enroll: I never thought I鈥檇 be where I am now. Before I enrolled, when I was looking into the program, I thought, 鈥淲hat is nine months? I can be in the same place I am right now, or in nine months I can be finished with school and have something amazing that I am proud of. I can give my kids something to look up to. There were obstacles, but you don鈥檛 have to let obstacles stop you鈥攜ou just have to keep pushing forward.
