INTERVIEW | Catherine Boyd’s Journey to Healthcare

Last month we shared an interview with LPN Catherine Boyd about her experience with MEDIjobs and how she found her dream job. This month we talked to Boyd about her journey to healthcare. Boyd talks about the obstacles she faced to reach her dreams, why she became a healthcare worker, LPN, and how MEDIjobs helped her achieve her healthcare dreams.

Can you tell us why you wanted to work in the healthcare field? 

I enjoyed helping and caring for people and knew I wanted to work in the healthcare field since I was little; however, I faced many obstacles before reaching my goals.

What are some obstacles you faced, and what led you back on track? 

During college, I suffered from severe depression because of personal and familial health issues and deaths. All that led me to leave my university. After that, I started working full-time to pay for bills. I didn’t want to quit, but I had to do what was right for me. While working, I developed a plan to get back on track: My journey back to healthcare. That’s when someone at work told me about Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in New York and their adult educational training program. I trained with their BOCES medical program in high school but wasn’t aware that they had an adult training program or LPN track. Once I started the program, I began learning more about healthcare and being an LPN. I felt like I was close to achieving my dream.

What was that “AH” moment where you felt like this was the career for you?

I’ve had many moments in my life where I thought, yes, this is a sign. I’m where I need to be.

The most significant “aha” moment would be the sign I got from my dad. My dad passed away when I was one. It was four days after Christmas, and it was and still is hard for my family. I’ve always felt as if he was with me through everything I did and experienced, which is why I found it incredible that the day I started my journey to be an LPN was my dad’s birthday, October 17. I started my program on 10/17/2018 and graduated a year later, on 10/17/2019. That moment at graduation and date made me realize my dad is always with me, helping me, and that I made the right decision to become an LPN. 

How have your experiences shaped the way you care for patients?

I believe my experiences have made me more emphatic and understanding to my patients and those around me. I’ve taken care of many patients with cancer who have fears and anxieties surrounding treatments and aftercare. I listen and take extra care of them. They tell me how grateful they are when I give them water, make them feel at ease, and how gentle I am when I administer cancer treatments or insert catheters. I always make sure I’m patient with them when explaining their treatments or educating them on correctly inserting a self catheter or injecting testosterone.

My goal is to make sure the patient is comfortable going home with all the information I give and understand everything. 

What impact did MEDIjobs have on your journey to healthcare?

I mentioned this before in my first interview, but I found MEDIjobs through a google search in August 2020. Honestly, I knew little about MEDIjobs, and I don’t remember how I applied, but I’m glad I did. After creating my profile, the MEDIjobs Customer Care Team connected me with Debbie, a customer care team member. Debbie acted as my advocate. We talked about what type of position I was looking for, salary requirements, and so much more. I spoke with her about my experience and how my last job let me go because I was sick and treated for migraine-induced vertigo. She fought for and helped me get a job. MEDIjobs, especially Debbie, helped me achieve my goal of becoming an LPN. 

What’s next for you?

My healthcare journey isn’t over yet. I love being an LPN, working with patients, and assisting staff, but I want to do more. Step 2 in my healthcare journey is to get another degree and head to medical school. My goal is to become a surgeon. I’m working and learning every day to achieve that goal.  

I’ve been through a lot on my journey, but I’m grateful for all the experiences. I love working as a healthcare worker and hope to continue working, assisting, and treating patients for as long as possible. 

As a healthcare job platform, MEDIjobs strives to connect companies with the right candidate. The goal is to make the job searching experience easy for all candidates. Create an account today, and we will match your profile with the best job offers.

How’s your healthcare journey going?

Tell us in the comments below, what led you to healthcare, how your experiences shaped your journey to healthcare, and how MEDIjobs has or can help you reach your healthcare goals.

Check out Catherine Boyd’s first interview here.