Inside Medical Assistant Schools: Student Profile

Israel Castro
Medical Assistant School Graduate
Pima Medical Institute – 2005

Pima Medical Institute was close to my house, and I heard they were a good school. Their graduates were finding jobs quickly. It was an easy choice.

Pretty quick—about 9 months. I was in class 4 hours a day and then studied a couple more hours. I didn't go out much, I just concentrated on studying. Because I'd been in the military, I was able to go to school full time, 5 days a week. That helped out.

They teach you how to do everything from the paperwork in the front office to the blood draws in the back office. I prefer the back office, like getting people's vital signs, drawing blood, giving injections. The paperwork doesn't interest me as much, though it's necessary.

We practiced the physical parts on a doll first, like finding a vein or giving an injection in the muscle. Then we'd practice on the other students. We learned a lot of biology and anatomy and some chemistry. The science is good to know, and it's interesting. I really like dealing with people the most.

Once I finished my classes, I was required to do a 100-hour externship, working in a doctor's office. That was so interesting. In school you get to know the other students, but in the office you're meeting new people every day. You don't know who you'll meet or what kind of medical conditions they'll have.

I worked for a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) for the externship. He was a nice guy, and he taught me a lot. He also had a medical assistant working for him, who was doing everything I'd been practicing in school. It was a great experience. I learned to do things I hadn't done in school, like assisting with a Pap smear. It helped me learn to work directly with patients.

I'm excited about medical assisting, and I hope I can go further with a medical career. I'd like to work with a cardiologist, or someone who does chemotherapy.

I'm also interested in pharmacy—my dad works in pharmaceutical sales—so I'm taking class now at Pima again, in the pharmacy tech program. I'm taking the prerequisites so I can go back to school and become a pharmacist.

I've been able to find a job I want, and I love working directly with people—meeting people every day. It feels great to know I could help someone, maybe save someone's life. This is a good place to be.