Jamee Blankenship is satisfied with her education at the Pikeville campus of National College, which allowed her to change careers from being a hairstylist to working in medicine.

slideshow

PIKEVILLE — “It was like a dream come true,” said Jamee Blankenship, a Pikeville Campus graduate, of landing her new job as a registered medical assistant at the Pikeville Medical Women’s Care Center. “I never thought that I’d get hired on there.”

Pikeville Medical Center was recently voted one of the “Top 100 Places to Work in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare Magazine. As a single mother, the stability, great atmosphere and exceptional benefits that a job at Pikeville Medical Center offers means peace of mind for Jamee, who previously worked as a hairstylist.

“I went to beauty school and I said ‘I am not going back to school’ but I decided to give it a try and it has changed my life,” said Jamee who enrolled at National at the urging of her sister who also attended the college.

She felt that medical assisting would be a good fit for her because she liked hands-on work. She enjoyed her clinical classes and found her instructors to be very accessible. “Everybody’s so helpful — the teachers, especially,” Jamee said. “You don’t have to be afraid to ask a question sitting in class … or you can have one-on-one with the teacher.”

She was placed as an extern at Akers Family Chiropractic Center where she had an opportunity to put her skills to use in the field. “I really liked it there … they let me do a lot — like ultrasounds,” said Jamee.

She worked closely with Career Center Director Kelly Raupach during her job search. “She was basically talking to me every day about new jobs,” Jamee recalled. “She was great.”

Jamee, who is working primarily on the administrative side of the center, plans to become certified in phlebotomy and hopes to eventually move into more clinical work there. She looks forward to a long career with Pikeville Medical Center where she feels opportunities for growth are plentiful.