From Uganda and now living in Acton, Yudaya Nanziri has always had a passion for healthcare. While studying Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, she was interested in earning money and getting experience in the field. In Middlesex Community College’s Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) program, she gained the theoretical knowledge, hands-on training, and workforce skills to get hired as a Patient Care Technician while she finishes her degree.
“I wanted to take a peek at what the healthcare system is like and how I can work in that setting,” Nanziri said. “My aunt worked for a non-government organization for refugees at the border of Uganda. I used to go over there with her and see how she worked. Nobody thinks of that as part of healthcare per se, so I was interested in that kind of setting and it’s what led me to this.”
As she was paying out of pocket for her college expenses, at first Nanziri was going to hold off on enrolling at Middlesex in order to save money. MCC’s Corporate & Community Education & Training division directed her to the ETF Program run by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. Eligible for the grant funding from the state, Nanziri realized “it was such a good opportunity for me.”
“When you learn all about the field in the classroom, you don’t know how it will feel on a real person. Having that clinical experience with real people took away that fear. It boosted my confidence in what I was learning to get a sense of what was going on.” - Yudaya Nanziri, MCC Alum
As part of clinicals in MCC’s program, Nanziri and her classmates helped patients at a nursing home in Lowell with taking showers, eating, walking, and other tasks. In her lab experiences, she practiced taking blood pressure, working with bed pans, moving patients, changing linens with patients in and out of bed, and completing restorations.
“When you learn all about the field in the classroom, you don’t know how it will feel on a real person,” Nanziri said. “Having that clinical experience with real people took away that fear. It boosted my confidence in what I was learning to get a sense of what was going on.”
In order to balance her busy schedule, Nanziri took MCC’s classes online in the evening. She was grateful to her instructor for taking the time to ensure everyone understood the material and could fit classes and the weekend lab and clinical work into their schedules. While her instructor’s patience helped her complete the program, the hands-on experiences enhanced her learning.
MCC’s CNA program also connected students with representatives and recruiters from local hospitals and organizations. This helped Nanziri know where to apply for work and what employers were looking for in the hiring process.
Nanziri found a job right after completing MCC’s three-month program. Now working in a related field, she finds that she better understands healthcare and how to engage with her classes at UMass Lowell. Middlesex and the CNA program “was a stepping stone for me and couldn’t have been any better,” Nanziri said.
“If MCC didn’t give me that opportunity, I don’t know where I would be or if I would have this much insight into what’s going on with my degree,” Nanziri said. “I’m grateful I had the opportunity to take the program.”