First-gen student thrives in PCC medical assistant apprenticeship
As one of the first students to enroll in the Pueblo Community College medical assistant apprenticeship program, Hailey Adame is discovering the many benefits of earning while she learns.
Adame, 19, is a first-generation college student. She enrolled in a four-year school right after high school but discovered that wasn’t the right path for her.
“I thought I had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life right then and there and I ended up just overwhelming myself,” she said.
After moving back to Pueblo, she learned about the PCC apprenticeship from her grandmother and knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t ignore.
“I always wanted to go into the medical field and I thought becoming a medical assistant would be a good first step to my career,” said Adame.
Medical assistants are a liaison between physicians and their patients. They perform clinical and administrative work in doctors’ offices, hospitals and other health care settings. PCC’s apprenticeship program allows students to work in a clinical setting part-time while earning their associate degree.
Adame works at the Pueblo Community Health Center, one of three community partners in the program. The others are Centura and Parkview Health System.
