HPOG Success Story: Monica at Montefiore Medical Center

Publication Date: January 16, 2019
Current as of:

Monica smiles with a friendBronx, NY

The path to advancement can be long and  demanding, but it is always rewarding.

Monica was raised in the South Bronx, New York, the poorest county in the state. It was a challenge for her mother to raise four children alone, but she worked hard to make sure they never went hungry. Monica considers her mother her role model. She wanted to work hard to be the best version of herself, showing her mother that her unconditional love and caring were appreciated.

Monica became a mother early herself. She put her plans on hold to give her children a rich life experience. As they grew older, Monica became committed to accomplishing her goals. Exploring her interest in the medical field led her back to school. She completed an associate’s degree in Medical Administration, but a challenging job market made finding employment difficult. She didn’t let that stop her, because she was committed to getting her start in healthcare. Monica started looking at training programs that would build her knowledge of the clinical side of the field. It was then that she found the growing number of opportunities for Home Health Aides.

In May 2017, she was introduced to the close partnership between Montefiore HPOG and People Care. People Care is Home Health Aide service that provides care to over 3,000 people a day in New York. After her acceptance into the Montefiore HPOG program, Monica was determined to take full advantage of their offerings, and move up the healthcare career ladder. She completed training through People Care and started working as a Home Health Aide, but quickly wanted more. She attended post-employment counseling at Montefiore HPOG and developed a plan for her to go from Home Health Aide to Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). She built a strong rapport with management at her home care agency, and HPOG noticed.

Montefiore HPOG is in continuous contact with their employer partners. In January 2018, People Care mentioned the agency was looking for a receptionist at their White Plans Office. The Montefiore HPOG team immediately thought of Monica. Though she was already employed by People Care as a Home Health Aide, HPOG’s vocational counselor provided post-employment supportive services and worked with Monica on her resume and interview skills. The counselor coached her on the position’s responsibilities and marketing herself for success.

Monica did so well in the interview, People Care offered her a different higher paying position as Compliance Coordinator on the spot. Her job performance was so strong that she received a promotion to Staffing Coordinator four months later. She was excited with the rapid growth of her career, but was still focused on advancement. “As a Home Health Aide, I’ve been motivated by helping people and seeing them achieve whatever goals they may have set for themselves.” With HPOG’s help, Monica plans to enroll in a program to become a CNA, and advance her career at People Care even further.

“The toughest difficulty in route to this amazingly satisfying career was me. The pressure that I placed upon myself was not in vain, I’m a success story and I want to inspire others to achieve whatever their dreams are.”

This success story was self-identified by the grantee and information contained in this document was provided by the grantee.

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