Ventura adult school alum and medical program instructor dedicated to helping students find healthcare industry careers
After working a series of what he calls “dead-end jobs” with no opportunity for advancement, Oscar Morales wanted a career with room to grow. When he started working at Community Memorial Health (CMH) Centers for Family Health as a medical billing coordinator, he was determined to break the cycle he’d been stuck in.
Morales says he volunteered for more responsibilities whenever he could and after four months his employer took notice of his work ethic. The boss took him to lunch and asked him to help run the office.
“I’m like, ‘Sure I’ll do it,’” Morales says. “My boss, a great mentor for me, always trained me as if I was going to run the clinic whenever she wasn’t around.”
Morales felt confident taking on the job as he’d completed the front office receptionist program at the Ventura Adult and Continuing Education (VACE), where he learned how to handle administrative duties such as insurance verification, scheduling and other tasks aimed at ensuring the office functions smoothly.
“It is transformative. These students that come in shy and uncertain, they leave with all the confidence in the world in their skills and the true belief that they are going to be successful.”
Margie Garzon, Ventura Adult and Continuing Education Medical Program Instructor
“There’s a real feeling of community and kind of a mini college experience going there every day,” he says of his experience at the adult school.
One of his teachers at VACE, Margie Garzon, fosters this feeling during her in-person classes of roughly 10 to 12 students that occur both in the morning and afternoon. With plenty of one-on-one instruction, she trains students ranging from 18 to 60-plus years old to become medical assistants. This versatile occupation allows them to work in almost any specialty, from cardiology to pediatrics to aiding general practitioners in a clinic.
VACE, a member of the Ventura County Adult Education Consortium (VCAEC), offers courses including the front office receptionist program Morales took as well as a medical back office program, where students learn tasks as wide-ranging as drawing blood, administering electrocardiograms and assisting with minor surgery. There’s also programs for caregiving and pharmacy technicians. Garzon says that completing these programs typically takes between six months and a year.
“People do not realize how attainable it is,” Morales says. “In probably what takes a season or two of a show on Netflix, they could be in a new career.”
Morales—now a clinic manager for CMH Centers for Family Health—often looks to VACE to find new employees. After working his way up the ladder by constantly seeking out new opportunities, Morales looks for students who are willing to do the same.
“I’m all about finding the next big thing, the next person I can motivate to go beyond medical assistant or beyond clinic receptionist,” he says. “I want to motivate them to be a registered nurse or even a doctor.”
If he can’t find graduating students a job at his clinic, he says he calls around to other managers to vouch for these students and get them interviews, as capable medical assistants are frequently in need. Occasionally, Morales visits VACE to speak to students and show them their goals are possible.
“They can see themselves in him so I think it’s a real motivator,” Garzon says.
Garzon also continues to serve her students after they graduate by hosting “Boot Camps” on Thursday evenings, where she helps current and former students refresh their skills. She also frequently visits clinics where she sees her past students thriving in their new careers.
“It is transformative,” she says. “These students that come in shy and uncertain, they leave with all the confidence in the world in their skills and the true belief that they are going to be successful. We give them all the tools they need to go out there and do wonderful things.”
Morales says he takes inspiration from Garzon. He once overheard her trying to convince a student to continue with a VACE program rather than take a job at Starbucks. He recalls her saying, “A job will feed your wallet, but a career will feed your soul.”
“That’s why I’m here,” he added. “I’m here to give a career. I’m here to change lives.”
For more information about Ventura Adult and Continuing Education, go to adultedventura.edu. To learn more about other schools and programs that are part of the Ventura County Adult Education Consortium, go to vcaec.org.
Written by John Flynn
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | Careers in Health Care |
