After 20 Years in Healthcare, I Switched to the Legal Profession

Start to My Career in Healthcare

After high school I graduated from a technical school and started my working career as a medical assistant in a well known orthopedic practice. I enjoyed working with people but soon I realized I was not cut out for clinical work and was certain I would never become a nurse. Instead, I decided to concentrate on the office end of the healthcare industry and within a few years, while in my early twenties, I became office manager at a satellite office near my home.

Finding What You Are Good At

I was always good at multitasking and particularly enjoyed helping people with their insurance questions and billing problems. I even taught medical office management part time at night and loved teaching so much that I decided to go back to college and major in English. While things do not always go according to plan, they often turn out fine, if not better.

Balancing Family and Work

I was not able to manage school and work so I left college in my junior year to concentrate on my family but was able to keep my foot in the door in the healthcare industry for the next 20 years. I did everything from medical transcription to medical billing while keeping my children my number one priority.

A Different Direction

Ten years ago while working at a hospital MRI center as a desk supervisor, I was approached about a job at a legal office and I decided after 20 years that I was ready to make a change. In the ten years that I have been working as a legal assistant, I received a paralegal certificate along with an associate degree. I also started writing and publishing online and became a grandmother for the first time! I truly feel blessed with the way things turned out.

Key Assets Gained from Working in Healthcare

My humble beginnings in the healthcare industry, where multitasking and helping others are key assets, helped me to land a new position and gave me the confidence to try anything that I am passionate about. I believe experiences stay with us and enrich our lives for the better. I was always able to find work in the healthcare industry during the twenty years that I worked in this field and in today's tough times it is nice to know that I could probably still fall back on this today if I needed to.