‘They help you live your best life:’ Stacy Ross on how HireLocal equipped her for success

At HireLocal, we walk with our students beyond their CNA certifications. That walk continues beyond their first job. We are here when they need us.

This summer, Stacy Ross inquired about pursuing a new role in the medical field. She had graduated from our program the year prior and secured a job at a local hospital. However, a family situation resulted in her availability shifting, forcing her to resign from her position.

After weeks of sending out applications, she hadn’t heard back from anyone. So, she contacted our team.

“I reached out to Latasha at HireLocal to see if they could help,” Ross said. “She got back to me the same day. I had just done an application online for Baptist Memorial Hospital that morning. The next day, Hire got in touch with Baptist, and the day after, I had an interview scheduled for the following Monday.”

Later that week, Stacy landed the role at Baptist in assistant patient care! She is training with them and ramping up to full-time work with a schedule that fits her husband’s job schedule and her children’s school schedule.

“(HireLocal) genuinely cares about you as a person, not just as a worker,” Ross said. “They help you live your best life in and outside work. They help you network and connect you to people who will help you reach your goals. You won’t find anybody with the same attitude that they have. Everybody there is so excited to give you so many resources and see you succeed!”

We’re thrilled to see Stacy thriving in the medical field again and are thankful for her continued trust in our staff and program. Last month, she sat down with us to share her CNA journey. We encourage you to read if you’re wondering how HireLocal can change your life.

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Q: Where did your passion for caretaking come from?

A: I’ve always had a passion for caring for others. I care for my parents. My dad is in his late 70s, and my mom is in her 60s, so I’m always helping. I also have a brother who recently got a kidney transplant. So, I’m walking through his journey as well. And I have my children that I take care of. I just have a passion and a heart for people.

Q: When did you become interested in pursuing a career in the medical field?

A: I have a friend who’s been a CNA for ten years now, and I brought up my interest. She sent me a link to HireLocal one day and encouraged me to check them out. I saw that they helped with getting your CNA certification and finding a job afterward. So, I looked into it, and I went ahead and applied in February of last year and started their Soft Skills class in March. After I went through the soft skills class, I transitioned into going into CNA class to get my certification.

Q: Did attending a soft skills course before going to CNA training help you?

A: I didn’t realize there was an expectation of prior CNA certification. But, they let me stay and go through the soft skills class and helped me enroll at Career Academy. It was helpful on the front end because it let me know what I would be stepping into career-wise. Hearing other people’s stories who were already certified helped me learn the pros and cons of the field. I learned that as a CNA, you can work in a hospital, be on private duty, travel, and more. It all made me decide that this was something that I wanted to do. They gave me the drive that I needed.

Q: Is there a specific memory that sticks out in your time in the soft skills course?

A: One young lady I worked with during class was a private-duty certified nursing assistant caring for her nephew. And it was cool to learn that you can take care of your family members through your job while still making money to support your family.

Q: After achieving your certification comes job shadowing. What were your biggest takeaways from that experience?

A: The first day I went, I did a couple of hours of shadowing with one of the nurses. She showed me how they answered the patient’s room, checked their vitals, and communicated with their parents. The biggest thing I learned was how important it was to multitask. There’s always something happening, and you have to be ready. After job shadowing, I landed a night shift role at a local hospital.

Q: How was your experience there? 

A: I loved it! It was a great experience. I had a lot of great co-workers who treated me like family. I had a great trainer when I first came on, who helped me settle quickly. So, just being able to be around kids all day. And I was blessed to work in the infant toddler unit. They felt like my own kids in a way. Eventually, I could no longer work that schedule, so I needed to find a new position.

Q: What led you to your current position at Baptist?

A: My husband and I were blessed to move to a new home. I applied to some places in our new area and did a couple of interviews but didn’t hear back from anyone. So, I reached out to Latasha at HireLocal to see if they could help. She got back to me the same day. I had just done an application online for Baptist Memorial Hospital that morning. The next day, Hire got in touch with Baptist, and the day after, I had an interview scheduled for the following Monday. My interviewer already knew I was interested and had read my resume. I told her a little bit about my background while we toured, and at the end, she said, “Well, if you’re interested…” I was like, I’m definitely interested! I got an offer that evening. Then he called me and said I’d hear back from him by Thursday or Friday. And, when I say they were moving fast, he called me back Thursday, and I was cleared. I went and took my physical on Monday of this week, and they called me yesterday, and everything came back fine! So, it was just an exciting journey. They were so interested in hiring me that it made me even more excited to start.

Q: What is your role there?

A: It is called assistant patient care. We are still doing certified nursing assistant things, but they just have a different title. This role gets my foot in the door. I’ll still be taking care of patients, taking their vitals, and helping them with their everyday needs, like bathing them, providing toiletries, and things of that nature. Once I get more experience at Baptist, I’ll apply for an official CNA position.

Q: Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals in this field?

A: It’s funny because my husband and I were talking about this yesterday. I’m currently looking into Southwest to be a physical therapist assistant possibly. I talked to an advisor a while back, but I need to get things financially stable and settled with my kids and their schooling before pursuing that. Once my kids get a little bit older, I will look into this more. 

Q: For someone interested in becoming a CNA, would you recommend HireLocal? And if so, why?

A: I definitely recommend HireLocal. You will work with people who genuinely care about you as a person, not just as a worker. They help you live your best life in and outside work. They help you network and connect you to people who will help you reach your goals. You won’t find anybody with the same attitude that they have. Everybody there is so excited to give you so many resources and see you succeed!