Name: Ganiyat Karimu
Class Year: 2023
Organization Name: Boston Sports and Shoulder Center
Title: Medical Assistant
1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?
My role as a medical assistant is to assist our orthopedic providers in patient treatments such as steroid injections, brace fitting, extremity casting and much more.
2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?
I found Boston Sports and Shoulder Center through an email listing on Holy Cross’s Health Professions Advisory email. I decided to sit in on their informational session to learn more about the role and quickly realized that this role would not only be a great opportunity to gain clinical experience , but it would also give me an opportunity to explore a new specialty in medicine. Furthermore I realized that what I wanted the most out of this experience was to learn as much as I can before beginning a professional path into nursing. After the detailed informational session and further interviews with BSSC I realized how supportive the practice is in the learning experience of their medical assistants and instantly knew that the role would be fitting for my desires in employment.
3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?
While I was a student on campus, I interned as an event coordinator with both the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Caribbean African Student Assembly (CASA). I also worked with the Office of Advancement as a student philanthropy ambassador.
4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?
I graduated with a major in Health Studies and a concentration in Africana Studies. I believe that this gave me an insight to public health and has constructed how I approach my role in the clinic. My background in public health gave me key insights to many disparities that we see in health care. This altered my perspective and respectively influenced me to switch from a career as an OBGYN to a career as a certified nurse midwife.
5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?
I believe that a skill that I developed during my undergraduate experience at College of the Holy Cross was public speaking. I endured many opportunities to develop these skills with many oral presentations and presenting at the annual academic conference. This allows for me to have confidence when speaking to patients and providers around the office.
6. What do you hope to pursue after this role?
I have recently been accepted into nursing school, so after this role I plan on enrolling into nursing school to achieve my RN licensure and continuing to obtain a specialized degree to become a certified nurse midwife.
7. What advice do you have for students on campus today?
Do not procrastinate! Take a hold of opportunities when they present themselves to you and have confidence that you are capable of performing in such opportunities.
