Meet Joy Greenlee – Douglas Education Graduate

Douglas Education Center Student Matters

Joy Greenlee
Douglas Education Center
2016 Graduate of the Medical Assistant Program

Joy Greenlee is a person with great compassion, who has a sense of caring for others, who has stated that there is nothing better than knowing that you really helped someone who needed it. These qualities, along with enjoying being a part of people’s lives and being a person that others can depend upon for help, led Joy to choosing a career in the healthcare field which, in turn, led her to Douglas Education Center in the fall of 2014 when she started in the Medical Assistant Program.

A short 15 months later, she graduated from the program.  She says with a laugh, “Honestly, I came to DEC because it was a fast track to a career. Going to a 4-year school just wasn’t my thing and not what I wanted to do.”  Joy also grew up in the area and had always heard good things about Douglas, and since DEC had a field she was interested in, she thought she would give it a try.  “DEC turned out to be a better experience than I thought it would. I got a lot out of it. I really enjoyed what I was going to school for.”  After suffering the loss of one of her best friends in high school, she is proud of her accomplishment of graduating from DEC because “It was a very traumatic experience for me and because of it I totally shut down. I stopped going to class and my grades slipped during my junior year of high school.”  It was a very difficult time for Joy; however, she was able to overcome this part of her life and successfully complete the program at Douglas.

Raelynn Jackson, an instructor in the Medical Assistant Program, played a role in Joy’s time at DEC.  Joy states, “I feel like she taught me a lot and not just about medical assisting. She taught me a great deal about myself and pushed me to have confidence in myself and my abilities. She definitely never let me give up even when there were times I wanted to.”  Giving up just doesn’t seem to be in Joy’s character. She is a person who doesn’t like to disappoint others and when she does something, she is ALL in. “I like things to be done perfectly; therefore, when I do something, I make sure I can get it done to the best of my ability. That way, when it’s all said and done, I can look back and say I did my best.”

Perhaps that’s why one of her favorite memories while at DEC is Graduation Day!  She says with a laugh, “I don’t mean that in a bad way. School was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’ve never really been the “school” type. So when graduation day finally came, I felt very accomplished because I worked really hard and cared a lot about my grades. I felt it showed how much I wanted to be a part of this experience.”

All her hard work has paid off.  Currently, she is a medical assistant at the Mon-Valley Community Health Services located at the SPHS Building here in Monessen. Joy just recently was trained to do a lot of the back office matters, such as taking patient’s vitals and giving them their shots. “I can say that I really enjoy it. Some days are more stressful than others, but I feel so blessed to be where I am. I couldn’t be more thankful. It’s definitely a job that I don’t mind waking up for every day and going to. I get a lot out of the job and the people I see on a daily basis. It definitely teaches me a lot.”  She enjoys her job and sees herself always working in the medical field in some capacity, and has even entertained thoughts of going back to school to learn about medical sonography.  But, for now, she is happy with where she is in her career and is reaping the benefits of perseverance, determination and a solid work ethic.

Congratulations to Joy Greenlee, a January 2016 graduate of Douglas Education Center’s Medical Assistant Program!

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Learn more about the Medical Assistant Program at DEC