It鈥檚 not very often that a new medical assistant can help transform a doctor鈥檚 practice, but that鈥檚 the effect Lorena R. had at Hardy House, a family medical provider run by Dr. LaTonya Hardy in Bartlett and the Shelby County areas of Tennessee.
Lorena, a recent Medical Assistant graduate from Concorde Career College鈥檚 campus in Memphis, applies the many MA skills she learned at Concorde and uses her Spanish-speaking skills to assist Dr. Hardy during appointments to help Spanish-speaking patients feel at home.
鈥淟orena is so wonderful,鈥 Dr. Hardy said. 鈥淲hat I really like about her is she鈥檚 really eager to learn.鈥
Starting Out in Healthcare
Lorena grew up in Memphis and considered healthcare as a career after she graduated from high school in 2018.
鈥淎fter high school it鈥檚 something I thought about,鈥 she said. 鈥淥riginally I wanted to do physical therapy, but it doesn鈥檛 work for everyone.鈥
Lorena wanted to work with patients and to have something new to do every day. She heard about medical assisting from a friend who became an MA.
鈥淪he would tell me how it was really hands on and that鈥檚 something I was interested in,鈥 Lorena said. She found Concorde online and thereafter completed her enrollment.
She took classes at Concorde at night after work, and learned how to draw blood, check vital signs and perform an EKG test.
鈥淚 enjoyed how we would practice on each other, and the labs,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e wouldn鈥檛 just focus on the books.鈥
At Home at the Hardy House
Lorena graduated from Concorde in the spring of 2020 and started at Hardy House in May.
鈥淚 enjoy working with patients,鈥 Lorena said. 鈥淓verybody has different things going on. I do like helping people.鈥
She also has been eager to add on to the skills she learned at Concorde, something that鈥檚 important to Dr. Hardy.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things that鈥檚 most important to me, and a reason we get along so well,鈥 Dr. Hardy said. 鈥淪he is not afraid to jump in and learn everything.鈥
Lorena knew when she looked for a job that her ability to speak fluently in English and Spanish would be a strength. She also knows what it鈥檚 like when a patient doesn鈥檛 speak the same
language as medical providers because she often had to translate for her Spanish-speaking parents during their medical visits.
When patients hear her speak Spanish, they are relieved and will communicate through her the entire visit, from the initial check of vital signs through the examination with Dr. Hardy.
鈥淚t makes me feel good and proud to do this,鈥 Lorena said. 鈥淚鈥檓 able to make them feel comfortable, learn what鈥檚 wrong with them and let Dr. Hardy know. They can feel like somebody understands their concerns and lets them know they are at home here.鈥
About 30 percent of patients at Hardy House are Spanish-speaking, and many have limited ability to speak English. Thanks in part to Lorena鈥檚 ability to translate, patient referrals have gone up among Spanish-speaking patients since she started.
One issue Lorena didn鈥檛 anticipate when she started school was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. She has helped with COVID-19 screenings that take place in the parking lot and offsite.
鈥淲e always have to wear masks with the patients,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e comfortable with the personal protection equipment, take precautions and keep other patients safe.鈥
