College students work hard, and overwhelming workloads become part of the standard routine to succeed. Fortunately, MATC has a number of resources available to assist students in achieving their goals.
There are a variety of scholarships and grants one can apply for, and the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) is one way for students to get funding, training and stay connected with a reliable group to aid them in their success as a healthcare professional.
HPOG is a five-year grant established by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. HPOG provides training in multiple healthcare related fields including but not limited to: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Phlebotomist, Pharmacy Technician certification, and Registered Nursing. HPOG has other healthcare related educational and training opportunities available.
The Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) held a Recruitment Day last the Health Sciences building at the downtown campus in April. Former associate degree nursing student Kelly Daily attended that recruitment day and took advantage of an opportunity that continues to aid her through her education.
Daily makes the commute from the Franklin area to the downtown Milwaukee campus for classes. She believes she was born to help others and desires a career in healthcare. Daily wants to take her education a step further and become a supervisor in her field. She expects to graduate in May and continue with the MATC/UWM SWIFT program in pursuit of the arduous Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
Daily is currently employed with a local healthcare provider in the Milwaukee area.
Daily says, “The grant I received to further my education has been a godsend.” She learned about HPOG from her advisor at UWM. “I’m a single mother raising a toddler completely on my own and this grant was exactly what I needed to continue my education.”
Combined with Daily’s drive, the aid from the HPOG grant and Krystal Robinson, Daily has increased her marketability and professional skills.
Robinson is highly skilled and effective in her role as Kelly’s career coach. Robinson is with Daily and other students from beginning to end; she guides them through the résumé process, helps navigate students through the employment system ,and most of all helps insure her students succeed by following up with them on a regular basis. Robinson continues to work with Milwaukee’s surrounding healthcare groups to stay on top of the latest job opportunities for HPOG recipients.
Daily is a fine example of a student striving to better her life and the lives of the ones who depend on her. Thankfully, MATC has many grants and programs to aid students in their pursuits as well.
Lastly, technology and healthcare practices continue to prosper and promote a longer life, and having even more support from a great educational institution like MATC, will indeed propagate sharper minds to continue the trend.