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Healthcare and pandemic recovery occupations are estimated to account for the largest portion of expected employment growth in coming years, according to employment projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Orange County resident and Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SoCal ROC) graduate took advantage of this positive workforce trend.

“During the pandemic in early 2021, I was working in the restaurant industry and wanted a different job as quickly as possible,” said Bui. “I had always been interested in the medical field but was afraid to pursue it. I saw a lot of job openings in healthcare. I decided it was time to take another look at the medical field and thought a career as a medical assistant was a good start.”

Bui enrolled in SoCal ROC’s Medical Assisting (MA) training program in February 2021. After completing the program in six months, he secured a medical assistant position at Allergy Partners, PLLC, the country’s largest allergy, asthma, and immunology practice with multiple locations across the United States.

“I researched a lot of schools looking for a good medical assisting training program that would fit my needs, said Bui. “I was excited to discover SoCal ROC because the Medical Assisting program met all my criteria including short-term duration of training, pricing, flexibility of the class schedule, and job placement assistance. The SoCal ROC program was exactly what I was looking for and met my needs.”

Bui is currently working in the front office at Allergy Partners and training to work on the clinical side. “I really enjoy working with patients and that is where I believe I can make a difference in people’s health and quality of life,” he said. I have learned how much detail and responsibility goes into a medical assistant’s job. Much teamwork and precision are needed among the medical staff because these details make all the difference in delivering healthcare for the benefit of patients.”

SoCal ROC’s Medical Assisting program features five sequential modules featuring courses covering medical front office, CPX, EKG, injection, and venipuncture. Students learn front office and back office skills including universal/standard precautions, administering injections, drawing blood, measuring vital signs, assisting with patient exams and diagnostic testing, and performing electrocardiography. Upon earning a certificate of competency in all five modules, students may be eligible to apply for an externship for more hands-on training in a medical office or center.

“Our instructor, Ms. Garcia, is amazing and I really connected with her,” said Bui. She goes above and beyond to help her students. “She helped us prepare to work in the medical field by teaching and correcting our techniques while at the same time making sure that we overcame any fear of performing injections or venipuncture on patients. She also introduced us to different fields and responsibilities that medical assistants can do, and it was a fun experience to explore.” Bui enjoyed his training so much that he says “the six months flew by” and he is grateful for his instructor’s referral to a new job.

“Vince is very dedicated to this profession,” said Jenice Garcia, SoCal ROC medical assisting instructor. “He worked part time, took medical assisting classes full time, and traveled across counties to attend SoCal ROC. He was an extremely pleasant and collaborative student. He would voluntarily tutor or provide clarification to other students who might be feeling challenged. He was always willing to assist and boost the confidence of his fellow students.”

Bui is interested in continuing to grow in the medical assisting career pathway. There are lots of options on the direction he could pursue in the future. He says he wants to take his career to the next level and is considering licensed vocational nursing, physical therapy assistant, or respiratory therapist specialties. “There are lots of possibilities in the healthcare field!” he said.