Our Members say it best!
Alma’s Success Story
Alma Garcia, Patient Sitter, Nursing Assistant training student, and mother of three, has worked at Providence St. Peter Hospital since 2024. With the support of the Training Fund, she is confident in pursuing her dreams of becoming an RN.
Alma has always considered herself a caretaker. She has previous experience in customer service and after becoming a mom, transitioned to working with small children. When she started working in a hospital, it clicked that healthcare was the right path for her and her passion for helping others continued to grow.
“When I got my first job at the hospital it felt natural to me, I felt like that’s the place I needed to be. I felt a connection.”
Her mother, a Nursing Assistant, also works at Providence St. Peter Hospital and encouraged Alma to take the next step in her career. Now she is participating in the Training Fund’s Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) training program in partnership with her employer after learning about the program from her supervisor.
The NA-C program is supporting Alma as the perfect stepping stone in her journey. She is chasing her dreams with the goal of becoming a registered nurse. Her dedication to advancing her career is motivated by her children.
“I want to show my children that it is never too late to chase a dream, and hard work pays off. Every time I study or head to class, I remind myself how lucky I am to be able to accomplish something I thought was impossible. I’m tired most days but being busy keeps my heart on fire and keeps me motivated to work hard.”
Although there have been challenges, the program provides students with everything they need to succeed: all supplies, vaccination and clinical readiness assistance, scrubs, tutoring, test registration & preparation. Alma also appreciates how the training is preparing her to further her education beyond the program.
“Time management, balancing my studies and fitting them in my daily life has been a challenge but is making me more resilient and is teaching me to be more disciplined. I feel like it is shaping me to prepare me for nursing school and my passion to master the art of healing.”
Training Fund partners and program stakeholders learned about the Nursing Assistant-Certified training program during a site visit to Alma’s classroom where she shared her experience:
“It has provided endless opportunities. It almost feels like a second chance to have a career where you know you want to be, the program is a step to other opportunities and I know that people like me feel the same about having a program where you are eager to learn and wake up to the sparks of wanting to get a degree. I feel grateful for the opportunity and the support this program has provided for not just myself but for everyone who works hard and shows up every day to their healthcare job.”
Alma encouraged her classmates to share their experiences and created space for conversation to highlight the impact of this program on individuals and the community. A few other students shared how they are also balancing work, raising a family and taking classes, and how this program is benefiting their careers and education.
This is just the beginning for Alma.
“Thanks to the support of this program, the dream of college education feels reachable rather than impossible. My goal is to become a registered nurse. I want to be specialized in psych or wound care and go to other countries as a volunteer and help provide healthcare.”