Page 63 - 45th Anniversary Alumni Success Stories

My mother, who worked as a nurse, influenced my decision
to step into the medical field when I was discharged from
the military. I was fortunate to have the GI bill, affording
me an opportunity to focus totally on my education. I
heard PMI had a great Respiratory Therapy program.
Although, I was somewhat skeptical when they also told
me the job market for RT’s in California was “tough.”
That proved to be true! After completing over 100 applica-
tions, I realized I would need to relocate to find work.
I had family in New York, so I applied there and got a
position at a small rural hospital just 2 hours from the
Canadian border. Because we only had four therapists, I
was often called into the ER in the middle of the night,
but I got terrific experience working closely with the
doctors. Currently, I’m working at Stony Brook Medicine,
a part of Stony Brook University, just outside of New
York City. We just bought our first home and are making
our roots here.

I decided to continue my education with PMI and have
recently completed my Bachelor of Science in Respiratory
Therapy program online. This experience has been great,
with instructors available and helpful, and I was able to
handle the workload and my full-time job.

I am definitely using the skills I learned in class in my
current position and it makes me so thankful for my PMI
instructors!

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