Moving Up in the Medical Field

Shannon has worked at Scheurer Health as a full-time housekeeper since August of 2017. Though she loved her job and her work family, she felt it was time to try a new career. She missed working directly with patients and felt she could handle more responsibility.  Becoming a Medical Assistant seemed like the perfect choice. She applied for the 10-month Medical Assistant Program through Mid-Michigan College and started in the Fall of 2024. Her training was locally provided at the Huron Area Technical Center.  

Shannon was referred to GST Michigan Works! through her employer, Scheurer Hospital, because of the Rural Healthcare (Sector Strategy) Employer Led Collaborative (SSELC) grant. This grant allows incumbent workers to be enrolled in training to upskill in the healthcare field for in-demand occupations in the region. She not only received sponsorship through the SSELC grant but also the Michigan ReConnect grant.  

Throughout her training, she continued to work full-time. It was hard, but Shannon persevered! She completed all classroom time and 160 hours of externship time, passing the class on August 9th, 2024. By the end of that month, she passed the National Certified Medical Assistant certification exam. She could not be prouder of what she had accomplished!

“It’s a great program that a lot of people may not think of! I had no idea how I was going to pay for everything, but knew I wanted a new career. GST Michigan Works! helped me manage the stress by paying the bill I owed to the college and helped me by having someone to talk to who cared for me and had my best interest at heart. Thank you for the support and for helping me through it.”

Shannon started her new position at Meijer Fast Care – Scheurer Health, 40 hours per week, making almost $5 more per hour than her previous position in housekeeping. She is excited for this new chapter of her career. “I am so happy to stay and be Scheurer!!”