WELCOME HOME ALUMNI

My name is Kachaw Harrison and I am a Pima Medical Institute graduate from 1999. I knew I wanted to become a nurse at some point but my biggest fear was needles. I'm a big science nerd and wanted to learn about what's in your body and how it works, so I overcame my fear and enrolled in PMI's Phlebotomy program and never looked back. My instructor, Meg Roop, was fantastic! She explained everything to us, even the unexpected! I started in PMI's Phlebotomy program and I have been studying Lab Sciences for nearly 19 years......AND I LOVE IT! I have worked in both hospitals and clinics and, although I know just about everything there is to know about drawing blood, I'm always learning something new. This field has been amazing to me and has opened many doors. I'm not finished learning and have just applied to nursing school. I work at one of the biggest hospitals in San Antonio, Texas and I owe my successful career to Pima and Meg Roop for not only teaching how to be a successful Phlebotomist, but to be the best medical professional out there. Thank you PMI!

Both of my parents have careers in the medical field and my older sister was working as an X-ray technologist's assistant at the same hospital. I had many broken bones as a kid and recall getting many X-rays, but when my sister started talking about what happens behind the scenes in her department, I started considering a career as a radiologic technologist. Both my sister and my mom encouraged me toward the Radiography program at Pima Medical Institute. It is a robust program for sure. It was super challenging for me and required a lot of study. But, the instructors were very knowledgeable and encouraging. I formed great relationships with my classmates; we became quite close and helped each other get through the program. It was quite intimidating to walk into my clinicals. Although I was well prepared and had help from the technologists, it was quite overwhelming to be in trauma situations and be interacting with nurses and doctors in real life situations. I worked really hard in my final round of my clinicals at Sharp Memorial Hospital and a couple months after graduation, I was hired as a radiologic technologist. I spend the majority of my time in the ER and I really enjoy my current job, but may consider a position in mammography in the future. I want to thank Pima Medical and especially my instructor, Dr. Schmidt, who was so helpful and supportive. I was in a terrible car accident during the program and without her guidance I may not have been able to finish my program. I am 23-years-old, I have a career in the medical field and I am really proud of myself.

I grew up in a medical environment as my dad was a Navy doctor and my mom was a nurse. I ended up getting a bachelor's degree in biology and after working for a time in construction, decided my love of animals was prompting me to pursue a career in the veterinary field. I heard about Pima Medical Institute and liked the idea that I would get experience in the field through their Veterinary Assistant program. I still remember my first day of the VA program when my instructor looked at me and said, "You have a degree and are way overqualified for this." I explained I wanted to learn the basics of caring for animals and get hands-on experience. It's been over 25 years and that instructor and I are still in touch. She always told us, "I can teach you how to do a procedure correctly, but it's more important to teach you the WHY." I still emphasize this and repeat it often to my staff. While working as a VA, I applied to veterinary schools, but my bachelor's degree GPA was low and I was rejected from many vet schools. Finally, I was accepted at an offshore school in the Caribbean and later transferred to Kansas State, where I earned my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. I was a Veterinarian at a couple of clinics before owning my own. Over the years, I have hired graduates from Pima Medical and have taken their externs. They still offer a very good program and teach the basics. My time at Pima Medical was an opportunity and a doorway into the veterinary world. I am a great example that it's not always about grades. If you have passion and are willing to work hard, you can accomplish your goals. My mom always told me, "As long as you are doing something you love, you'll be happy!" Down the road, I think I might enjoy returning to Pima Medical ... this time as an instructor.

I was at a place in my life where I just didn't know what I wanted. One day after driving past the sign for Pima Medical Institute I walked in and enrolled in their Medical Administrative Assistant program. It was a rough time for me. My mom, who I was living with, became very ill with stomach cancer and I had to care for her. In fact, I almost quit, but thankfully the instructors at Pima Medical supported me and encouraged me to not give up. She passed away right before graduation but I not only finished, I graduated with honors. I have been employed at a mental health clinic for about three years now and I believe I have found my calling. I am the senior intake and I take on all the hard patients; dealing with bipolar and schizophrenia in adults and severe autism in children. I am able to calm the patients and make the parents feel comfortable. I feel like it's my calling. Pima Medical invited me to be on their advisory board and I was able to give my input about the need for education surrounding the mental health field. Today, I have four Pima Medical students completing their externships at my clinic. They are often nervous at first, but it's exciting to give students exposure to a different area of the medical field. I want to thank Pima Medical for giving me the tools I needed to succeed. I loved how the teachers cared about you as a person. I enjoy going to work every day and I'm excited to continue my education so one day I can operate my own mental health clinic.

As a working mother, I'd always had an interest in rehabilitation. So once my kids got older, I transitioned to a new job and started my education. I met an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) at work who told me I was wasting my time at the university and encouraged me to check out Pima Medical Institute's OTA 20-month program. I checked it out and was hooked. The classes were personal and the instructors were great! After graduation, I obtained a job at a skilled nursing facility. Within a few months, I noticed I was drawn to the administrative side. Another Pima Medical graduate strongly encouraged me to consider in the online Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration (BSHCA) program, and I enrolled. The program offered real-world education I could use immediately. Getting my bachelor's degree led me back to Pima Medical as an OTA instructor and subsequently the Clinical Education Director at the Mesa Campus. Being a graduate of the same program allowed me to relate to the challenges and struggles of my students. I was able to help them have a sense of pride in their accomplishments. That's what my instructors had done for me. When Pima Medical launched its master's degree program (MSOL), I enrolled in the first class. Recently, I was offered the position of Director of Therapy over all three Abor Clinics in the Phoenix area. My degree totally prepared me for this job. Many master's degrees are theoretical in nature, but this degree has provided the skills I need to do exactly what I'm doing now and I love it. Choosing to continue my education was certainly a sacrifice, but in the end that sacrifice was worth it. Everything I gave up for a time has come back to me tenfold and I can't believe it's only taken me six years to get here! Pima Medical helped me view myself through the lens of success.

After completing high school, I was looking for a temporary source of income that would pay enough to allow me to put myself through college. I had several family members who had attended various programs at Pima Medical Institute, so decided to enroll in their nine-month Pharmacy Technician program, figuring it might be a quick way to make more than the average college student. The class schedules were ideal, allowing me to work while going to school. It was a strenuous curriculum but my instructor, a Doctor of Pharmacy with many years of experience, ensured his students became successful Pharmacy Technicians. He knew exactly what made a great technician and he prepared us well to become nationally recognized Certified Pharmacy Technicians. I have spent the past 17 years as a Pharmacy Technician working in inpatient pharmacy performing sterile and chemotherapy compounding. I moved away from Arizona about seven years ago and I was hired at the VA Medical Center, where I was quickly promoted to Lead IV Trainer. Recently, the Mayo Clinic in Mankato reached out to me and offered me a job as their Technician Supervisor with a focus in Sterile Compounding. The temporary job I thought would support further education became my career. I am very proud of my work as a Pharmacy Technician and I'm thankful for my Pima Medical instructor. As a result of being trained by him, I feel like my career has been really distinguished and for that I will always be grateful.

When I first started my journey in health care, I was on track to become a nurse. After working as a phlebotomist for three years, I quit my job focusing on finishing the last few prerequisites for nursing school. However, life had other plans. I got pregnant with my now four-year-old daughter and took a year and a half off to spend time with her. In 2020, I began to reconsider my career path. I realized that the clinical side of healthcare was no longer my passion; instead, I was drawn to the administration and business side. After researching various degrees, I chose the online Health Care Administration (HCA) associate and bachelor's programs at Pima Medical Institute. My experience at Pima Medical was incredible. Both programs' flexibility and the support from instructors and advisors were exceptional. They fit perfectly into my busy life as a full-time employee, wife and mother. The instructors were always available and willing to assist with anything I needed. The resources provided to students, from class scheduling to financial guidance, made everything so manageable. Upon completion of my bachelor's degree, I found a position as a Program Administrator at Baylor University Medical Center in Texas, managing the OBGYN, Hematology/Oncology, and Mechanical Circulatory Support programs and residents. I am currently working full-time and exploring graduate programs for Health Care Administration and Business Administration. My future goals include becoming certified in health care emergency management to effectively plan and respond to emergencies. Thank you, Pima Medical Institute, for your guidance and support. Completing my degrees with you has been a wonderful experience, allowing me to achieve goals I never thought possible.

I knew since I was a child that I wanted to be in the medical field. When it came time for me to graduate from high school, I wasn't interested in a four-year college or university because I just wanted to jump right into the workforce as soon as possible and begin my career in the medical field. After explaining this to my gramma, she recommended Pima Medical Institute. We visited together and took a tour; I knew then that the nine-month Medical Assistant (MA) program was the best fit for me. My experience as a student was amazing! The MA program is an accelerated program and while you're learning lots of information in a short time, the hands-on practice helps you apply your skills and prepares you for the profession. All the nerves, tears and anxiousness were so worth it. I was so well prepared for my six-week externship that I was offered a position as an MA upon completion. I am still employed there and I recently began going back to school to obtain my associates in Nursing with plans to continue on to get my bachelor's (BSN) degree. I want to say thank you to every single one of my instructors. Pima Medical changed my life, and I will always be grateful for the education I received, the lifelong relationships I built with my instructors and classmates, and the lasting career it has given me.

I started my career as a medic on an ambulance and knew I wanted to become a nurse. Everyone around me was doing it and it felt like the natural next step. At the time, I was working toward a degree in paramedicine at another college but their nursing program required a Certified Nursing Assistant certificate (CNA), which I didn't have. I was ready to get started and Pima Medical Institute offered exactly what I needed: a program that didn't stretch over an entire semester. I enrolled in the CNA course, checked that box and had a great experience. Eventually, I was accepted into a nursing program elsewhere - but the waitlist was a year and a half. That's when Pima Medical reached out. They said, "You're an alum and we have a nursing program." It was accelerated and could get me in right away, so I said yes. I completed the Registered Nurse (RN) program and went straight to work as a nurse. My boss had always encouraged me to pursue my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and though it was something I wanted to do, I just kept putting it off. I finally enrolled in another school's program but didn't like the structure. They said it was "fully online", but there were group projects and required meetings that didn't fit my schedule. I dropped and gave Pima Medical a shot again. The BSN program was amazing. It was clearly laid out, well-paced and truly online. I had the support I needed but I could also self-guide. Today, I'm the clinic manager for a company that operates 12 occupational health clinics across five states. Plus, I've been accepted into the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) program at Pima Medical. I'm pursuing this advanced degree to grow as a leader and bring more to the table. Pima Medical has always been honest, consistent and structured. If you're a self-starter with a busy schedule, this is the school for you.