Rochelle Keiser is a matchmaker…and she loves her job. As Carrington College’s Career Services Associate, she helps Medical Assisting (MA) and Practical Nursing (PN) program students who are close to completing their education, get on-the-job training in participating medical facilities. That ‘externship’ can potentially result in a job offer and launch them into their chosen medical field.
Rochelle has nurtured relationships with 50-75 hospitals, medical offices, clinics, surgery centers and medical rehab facilities to partner with Carrington College’s Medical Assisting externships. Hands-on experience is an important dynamic in a medical program’s curriculum…and students love the ‘real world’ experience.
How would you describe your role at the college?
We work with small clinics to major hospitals, private practices, surgery centers and medical specialty offices, like chiropractors, podiatrists and dermatologists. I have two primary responsibilities: connect our students to on-the-job experience through externship that they need in their chosen field and provide our participating extern sites (50-75 facilities) with well-trained medical students during their externship.
We start working with students 12-weeks out before they graduate. We help prepare students for their job search: resume writing, interview preparation, professionalism. We coach them through the complete job search process and provide them with active job leads. And, we remain a resource available to them throughout their career.
Which Carrington College programs do you more closely work with?
Primarily Medical Assisting (MA) and Practical Nursing (PN) programs. At any time, I’m working with twenty students and grads.
Is your role in Career Services fulfilling?
Working with people who are trying to further their education and find the right career they’re passionate about, gives me what I care about and love. And we don’t have an expiration date on the support we provide our students and grads. Our department will work with any Carrington College graduate indefinitely. We’re here for the long haul because we care about their long-term employment success.
How do you groom relationships with potential employers who might hire your graduates?
Our employers expect well-prepared applicants for open positions. They trust we will only send them qualified candidates. They often offer positions to students who did their externship (on-the-job experience) there and made a positive impression. Our students know that their externship is an opportunity for possible job offer.
Do you feel like a matchmaker at times?
I will send a student or graduate to a job interview I think would be a good fit. I do a lot of outreach in the business and medical communities and establish relationships for future matches. Employers we work with trust us to send only qualified applicants.
We are also providing a service to medical and business facilities whenever they have an opening they need to fill. We are a new-hire resource they can trust.
What is your greatest struggle?
It breaks my heart when a student doesn’t think they can do it (find a job). I’m confident in their abilities and skill set, but they might have doubts that they can be successful. I work with them a little bit more until they get a better grasp on their confidence. I help them see what we see.
What other support do you provide your students?
We have support resources on campus. We organize efforts to collect gently used scrubs, we have outreach with local laundromats and gift cards for students who struggle to maintain clean scrubs for their medical externship.
Is there an end-of-job-search support for Carrington College grads?
I work with our students and grads until they don’t need me anymore. I’m currently working with someone who graduated in 2023 because she’s now looking for a new job.
We will work with a Carrington College graduate indefinitely. We don’t have an expiration date for our graduates. We’re in it for the long-haul and will always care about their employment success.
What keeps you motivated in your work?
Making students happy and helping them find a place they want to work at. We get close. Some graduates send cards, wedding invitations – a good majority stay in touch.
The highlight for me is when I get that message on my computer that says, “I got hired!”
What makes Carrington College so effective for so many?
We genuinely care about the success of our graduates. We all love our jobs, and we try to find jobs for our graduates that they love, too. Job gratification. That’s what we all want and deserve.
