Like many people who choose a healthcare career, Jesse found his calling after helping a family member through illness. “My sister was diagnosed with cancer,” he explains, “and those caring for her made us all feel informed and part of the process.”

Driven to do the same for others in their time of need, Jesse became a medical assistant. Read how this caring Lead Medical Assistant is crafting his dream career with us.

Discovering belonging at Providence Swedish in Redmond

Jesse had worked in healthcare for about 13 years when he joined Providence Swedish, where he floats between the Redmond and Redmond Ridge Clinic locations. He says he felt a warm welcome from his teammates and managers from his first day on the job, sharing how they put him at ease, “All the medical assistants and supervisors stepped in and started helping me right away. They encouraged me to go ahead and ask if I had any questions.”

As time progressed, Jesse was pleasantly surprised to find a different sort of culture than he’d experienced before. “The managers show that they value us here by actually being there and stepping in when they need to,” he says. “For instance, if someone calls out, my supervisor will literally jump in and room patients for us. She’ll take care of that provider’s schedule throughout the day. You feel supported; you don’t feel like you’re going to be overwhelmed for the day when someone does call out.” Jesse says this isn’t always the case elsewhere. “I worked at the places where if someone calls out, you’re the only person there and your supervisor does not step in and help out. So that’s a big difference between Swedish and other places.”

Jesse says that the clinics are welcoming to everyone, and he’s found where he belongs at Providence Swedish. “I’m gay, and I’m also Latino, and I’ve felt more than welcome here,” Jesse shares. “You can see the diversity in each of the clinics and they’re very supportive.”

He says that his coworkers make his workdays better, “just knowing that they’re going to be there for you if you’re having an off day, either with work related stuff, or even stuff that’s going on at home. We’re all there for each other.”

Jesse likes that Providence Swedish has Caregiver Resource Groups that connect caregivers with others with similar backgrounds and experiences. Referencing the LGBTQIA+ Caregiver Resource Group, Jesse says, “They always participate big time in Pride. I helped with some of the social media too, and it’s awesome.”

Growing into his ideal role while working at Swedish

One of the top reasons Jesse chose Providence Swedish was the support available to help him grow within the system. Jesse aspires to become a clinic supervisor and he’s already on his way. He was recently promoted to Lead Medical Assistant, and his supervisor regularly points him toward small steps he can take to continue to advance.

Jesse says, “I’ve worked at other places where there’s a cap, where they require you to have a bachelor’s degree and you’re not able to move up anymore. Here, they allow you the time to go back to school and stay within Swedish.”

At Providence Swedish, all caregivers have access to continuous learning support, from fully covered educational programs to tuition reimbursement. Whether gaining exposure to patients in a variety of health care settings, attending consortium trainings or participating in caregiver mentoring, caregivers like Jesse can satisfy their drive to learn with a wide variety of tools and resources.

 “If you want to work someplace that you’re actually supported, and you don’t feel like you’re overwhelmed, this is the place to be,” says Jesse.

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