Bradley Smith Lands Job in the Medical Field with Help from Daniel Boone JobSight in Clay County
Bradley Smith first came to the Kentucky Career Center JobSight in Clay County after he was laid off from a factory job. He was looking to take a turn in his career path and go into something in the medical field, and with assistance from JobSight it didn’t take long before his search helped him land the job he was looking for.
Bradley Smith
Once he enrolled for services at the career center—which is located in the offices of Daniel Boone Community Action Agency—Smith began working with Career Advisor (now WIOA Director) Joann Nolan, who got started right away leading him toward services designed to help him gain employment based upon his career interests.
“She actually told me about this school in London where I could get my CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) Certification called Choice MD,” Smith said. “Right when I needed a job, pretty much the most, she set me up with that.”
A partner in the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network of workforce centers, Daniel Boone Community Action Agency provides Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services in Clay and Jackson counties under contract with Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP). Those services include programs for adults, dislocated workers, and youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who may need assistance honing skills such as résumé building or networking with local employers, or who need assistance being retrained or going to school.
Choice MD provides short-term training for a number of medical and dental professions. Smith’s training allowed him to work at his own pace, and while the course typically lasts three months, he finished in a little under two. And because he was enrolled for services through the JobSight at Daniel Boone CAA, his tuition was completely covered, as were other costs, including materials he needed such as scrubs.
“I didn't pay a penny," Smith said.
Smith now has a job at Mountain Family Practice in Manchester where he works as float medical assistant. Through his employer, he has trained for different aspects of the job such as assisting with drug screens, lab work, blood work, giving injections, and working in triage. It’s a job he says he wouldn’t have been able to land had it not been for his decision to enroll for employment services through JobSight.
“I had no clue about the school I got my CMA certification through,” he said. “I would still have no clue about it if it wasn’t for [JobSight].”
Now working directly in the medical field, Smith said he wants to build on his career and continue on the nursing pathway, and has even been back in contact with Nolan to see about available assistance in finishing his degree in nursing.
The services available through the career center were a big help to him, Smith added, and he would recommend others who may be looking for a new job opportunity to see if those services might be right for them, as well.
“I think this stuff is important to get out to the people that don’t know about it because there are some people that are in positions that can’t help themselves, and they need a little help here and there and this place is the place for it,” he said.
If you’re interested in applying for career and employment services, visit jobsight.org/locations to find your nearest Kentucky Career Center JobSight and contact a career advisor to get started.
EKCEP, a nonprofit workforce development agency headquartered in Hazard, Ky., serves the citizens of 23 Appalachian coalfield counties. The agency provides an array of workforce development services and operates the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network of workforce centers, which provide access to more than a dozen state and federal programs that offer employment and training assistance for job seekers and employers all under one roof. Learn more about us at http://www.ekcep.org, http://www.jobsight.org and http://www.facebook.com/ekcep.
