Program Details

At the age of 26, Jordan Lay is a single mom who felt she needed to be more present in her 3-year-old son's life. Residing in Ozark, Illinois, she worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for five years but burnt out from working 3-4 days of 12-hour shifts at Union County Hospital. Jordan wanted to broaden her education and do more in the medical field. Due to personal reasons and the pandemic, she felt that an LPN/RN was not a good fit for her. Jordan was approved for the WIOA Program to pursue a certificate in the Certified Medical Assistant Program (CMA) in Fall 2021 at Shawnee Community College. In hopes of being a CMA, she now has her dream job and can focus on supporting her family.

While the journey was never easy, to begin with, Jordan achieved her goals. A month before graduating from the CMA program, she secured a job at Shawnee Health Services. Jordan says that “working for Shawnee Health Services has given me a lot of hands-on experience with not just family medicine, but also suboxone therapy, pediatrics, and even gynecology work. I work alongside many other CMAs, LPNs, and even RNs. I’m giving shots, sending in medications, assisting with house procedures, and so much more. I now work Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm, and I’m blessed to be able to take and pick up my son from school every day instead of relying on others to do it for me. Being able to come home and have dinner with him every night and getting to plan fun and exciting weekends together is something I have always dreamed of. Becoming a CMA has been one of my best decisions for my son and myself.”

Jordan says that “the SDC WIOA Program gave me peace of mind financially while in the CMA program. As a single mom attending school and working full-time, that was a huge relief. I didn’t have to worry about if I needed to make a tuition payment or buy groceries or if buying my books meant I would have to borrow money from my parents. Aside from the financial part of the WIOA program giving me confidence. Sandy, was there any time I had a question or concern throughout the year. The WIOA program was one of the many learning posts during my time in the Certified Medical Assistant program. It’s a hidden gem that needs more awareness.” Jordan also wants to extend her appreciation to the SDC WIOA Program by saying, “thank you.”