Comanche County Memorial Hospital is preparing to train their 10th class of Clinical Medical Technicians through their CMT program. CMTs work at the hospital or clinics and do things such as greet patients, take them to their room, get blood pressure readings, and learn what medications and issues the patient is having.
The fast-paced six-week course gets them ready for the workforce. Meyaka Burris, a CMT who floats around where needed, said you’re surrounded by support as you’re learning.
“You don’t really have a chance to feel like you’re going to get lost because you have so many people that are willing to help you — so many people that are willing to answer all your questions and give you extra training if you need it,” Burris said.
She said getting paid to learn helped her focus more on what she’s learning.
“I just made a decision,” Burris said. “I decided that I was going to focus on school only and my home. I have children, so I only focused on my children and school. I had to cut out a lot of the fun stuff that we like to do for a little while because it’s a sacrifice, but it’s not a long time.”
She said while working at the Heart and Vascular Center, she realized she wanted to do more.
“And my manager told me about the CMT program, and she told me that this may be a good step,” Burris said. “Because my goal is to be a nurse. So, she was like you may want to consider the CMT program.”
A desire for more for her and her family is also what made Naomi Colon want to become a CMT.
“I was a server for eight years and then all of the sudden, I seen the ad and I applied and luckily, I got it,” she said. “One of the first questions I asked was ‘Am I able to grow in the field?’ and they said ‘Yes.’ Eight years of being a server was a lot.”
Colon said the quick learning environment helped her when she decided to go back to school to become an LPN.
“I think I learned a lot and I’m thankful for the baseline because if I didn’t have that I feel like I’d be a little bit more lost,” Colon said.
While Colon was scared to take the first step, she plans on going for her RN next. She encourages others interested in the medical field to take the leap.
“I was so scared,” Colon said. “Like I said, I was a server for eight years. I didn’t know anything else but that, but I also wanted my kids to know ‘Hey, you can do it.’ So, I did it. It’s been good, it’s been really good actually.”
If you’re interested in becoming a CMT and expanding your career path, CCMH’s next class starts in January and applications are available starting on December 2nd.
For more information, or to apply, visit their website.
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