Motivated people of all ages and backgrounds come to Wellspring to realize their potential and to transform their lives through job-training, education and learning opportunities, career mentoring and resource support. Faith-Anne is one of those inspiring and motivated individuals!
Faith-Anne came to Wellspring when her long-time employment as a manager of a small family market came to an end. Working to manage the business for nearly 35 years, Faith-Anne had extensive customer service and business management experience, but was unsure what her next career move would be.
With representatives from JobQuest, Faith-Anne decided to enroll in Wellspring’s HealthCare Office Support Training (HOST) Program. Also known as MediClerk, HOST is a comprehensive 450-hour job-training program that prepares students for entry-level administrative positions and non-clinical roles in healthcare, primarily in medical offices around the North Shore. In addition to robust instruction in Medical Terminology, Medical Keyboarding and Medical Office Procedures, students also learn critical skills in Business Communication, Computer Applications, and Customer Service.
At 61-years-old, Faith-Anne wasn’t sure she’d find success in HOST due to the challenging course material, but the preparation and mentoring she received from Wellspring instructors helped her challenge and overcome those fears. “I was a little apprehensive to do this. But the confidence I got from how prepared I was, is amazing. I could never say enough about this program.”
After graduating in June 2022, Faith-Anne is now helping people every day as a Patient Services Representative (PSR) at North Shore Physician’s Group in Danvers, part of the Mass General Brigham Network, and long-term Wellspring partner. As a PSR, Faith-Anne has a crucial role in patient-physician communications, and is responsible for answering phones, taking messages, scheduling appointments, faxing and scanning information into patient charts, office support, and more.
In addition to the coursework and job shadowing, students must also complete a two-week on-site internship, which often leads to immediate employment. In fact, 70-80% of students who complete the program secure employment within 6 months or less of graduation. To help students continue their success, program advisors provide career counseling and ongoing support well after graduation and job placement.
Today, Faith-Anne feels fulfilled in her new career and is a very active and beloved member of the HOST Alumna group. “This was something I never thought I could do at my age. I love helping people! I didn’t think this would be my niche, but it is!”
Faith-Anne’s inspiring success would not be possible without support from the Charles Sanders Trust and their generous $15,000 grant to the HOST Program in 2022; and the Alfred E. Chase Charity Foundation, who awarded $20,000 to Wellspring in 2022 as part of Wellspring’s Accelerating Access to Higher Education initiatives, which includes the HOST program.