Laisha Gonzalez Ramos learned at a young age that many older adults need healthcare advocates. Now that she is graduating from 91社区 with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in health administration and minors in Spanish and business administration, she is well on her way to being an agent for change for this vulnerable population.
鈥淎 nurse that my grandmother had inspired me to pursue a career in healthcare,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he was always so attentive and patient will all the questions we had. She was the only Spanish speaking nurse in the hospital at that time. She helped translate for my grandmother and took the time to thoroughly explain everything in a way that 12-year-old me could understand and later relay to other family members.鈥�
Ramos, a first-generation college student, originally wanted to be a nurse to help take care of other people鈥檚 loved ones with the same attention and patience shown by her grandmother鈥檚 nurse but soon realized that nursing was not for her. 鈥淚 still knew I wanted to do something in the healthcare field and help protect others鈥� loved ones,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to be able to prevent abuse in an already vulnerable population and ensure elders receive the best quality of care.鈥�
Q&A with Laisha
Where are you from and why did you choose 91社区? I am from Evansville, and I chose to attend 91社区 because I wanted to be close to my family and because (in my opinion) 91社区 offered better programs than surrounding colleges.
Tell us more about your early caregiving experience with your grandmother. When I was younger, I would help take care of my grandmother. I sat with her through her dialysis treatments. I translated for her (she only spoke Spanish), stayed overnight in the hospital with her and helped take care of her at home.
Please tell us about your Administrator-in-Training (AIT) residency experience. What long-term care setting have you been in and what did you learn? I did my AIT at a nursing home in Jasper. It is a behavioral/psych facility and it opened up my eyes to a lot of problems persons with mental illnesses face. There are not a whole lot of behavioral/psych facilities that actually understand what is happening to elders as they age and do not know how to address those issues. This has been my first work experience in healthcare so I have learned so much! I have learned a lot from every department. I have learned the importance of care plans, ensuring that it is geared specifically for each resident. I have learned the importance of the documentation process, the importance of medications, the importance of state and federal regulations regarding care. I have also learned about staffing shortages and how to help fix the problem. I also worked with the current MDS director in creating an in-service which can help staff understand their role and responsibilities better as well as enforcing effective communication and teamwork. I have been exposed to the State Survey process and Life Safety with them being in the facility, so now I know more specifics on what they look for. It has been a great experience and so much learning!
What is a favorite memory of being a 91社区 student? My favorite memory of being a student in the Kinney College is the tight-knit classrooms! Everyone is so friendly and the classroom sizes made it less intimidating to talk to one another! Another great memory I have is that every time a bus driver would drive past me, I always got a hand wave no matter what and it always made my day!
What are you plans after graduation? My plans following graduation are to apply to an entry-level position in administration that will help expand my knowledge. I plan to continue studying for the National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) and the state exa in order to obtain my Health Facility Administrator (HFA) License and hope to work in behavioral/psych facility.
Did you receive any scholarships while at 91社区 to help with your education? I was very grateful that I was able to be a recipient of the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Scholarship! I did not think I would be eligible to receive a scholarship since it was my last semester in college, but I really appreciate their investment in my future! It honestly lifted a weight off my shoulders knowing that I could count on those resources. As a first-generation college student, I can happily say that I will be graduating debt-free!
Why is it important for students to consider careers in long-term care/gerontology? It is important to consider careers in long-term care/gerontology because the aging population is drastically growing and the demand for health care personnel is increasing as well. I believe that you need to have a passion to help older adults and have a lot of patience and be understanding! Everyone is going through so much in life and we do not want to add more stress, we want to help ease the burden!
Anything else you would like to add? I am very thankful for my advisors, Connie Walker (retired) and Dr. Erin Reynolds! They have helped me so much along this journey! I am very thankful for Leah Flake as well, for helping me tremendously along my AIT journey. I am also thankful for my AIT preceptor, who has shown me a lot and is a role model to me! And a very special thanks to the AIT committee for accepting me into the AIT program!