I remember the day I first learned about Stenberg College’s Hospital Support Specialist program. I arrived early to work, so began reading the paper when I came across an advertisement for an information session about the program. I read it and thought “Oh, that sounds like something I could do”. The next day, my friend and I, attended the information session and I immediately knew that this was what I wanted to do for my career.
When I was a child, I was extremely sick and in isolation at B.C. Children’s Hospital for an entire week. While I was hooked up to my I.V., my mom who was there by my side the whole time, told me what she had heard about other kids on the same floor. Even though I was so young, I knew then that it would be amazing to be able to give back one day. In high school, I took a variety of courses not knowing what I wanted to do because my whole life I had believed that if you wanted to work in a hospital you had to be a doctor or a nurse and neither profession appealed to me.
I was interested in pursuing a job in the social working field. I knew I wanted to help people and give back just like those who helped me when I was young. Fast forward a few years and here I am more than halfway towards completing my program. This is something I never saw myself doing. Once I learned that you did not have to be a nurse or a doctor to work in a hospital, I felt so silly I thought otherwise but I was given no information my entire life to think differently – until I saw the information session ad.
After the information session, I learned everything I needed to know to choose from the Nursing Unit Clerk (NUC), Hospital Support Specialist (HSS), and Medical Office Assistant (MOA) programs. I chose the HSS program. I had never thought I would wear scrubs and take an anatomy course to learn about the human body. The fact that I have stayed dedicated to something that I have put my whole heart into is the most rewarding experience of my life so far. I am thankful for the life-changing path this program has taken me on.
