Health Center Hero Spotlight: Heather Wolffe, MA
It’s not often that health care professionals in rural towns can advance their career without ever having to leave their hometown. In rural areas of Pennsylvania, accessing higher education and training schools can be more challenging than their urban counterparts: learners usually need to travel greater distances, which may not be feasible without reliable transportation, not to mention the ever-growing cost associated with earning a degree or certification. But in a little town in the Northwestern part of the state, Heather Wolffe figured out a way to do just that.
Wolffe, who was born and raised in Greenville, began her career in the medical field when she was 20 years old. “I have done every aspect of the job from being an activity person for a nursing home, to a Certified Nursing Assistant, to working at the hospital for post-surgery, and I had gotten away from the on-hand care where you are actually involved with the patients,” Wolffe said.
After spending some time working the night shift in the Emergency Room, Wolffe wanted to find a job that allowed her to work daytime hours and spend more time with her three children. Five years ago, when a day-shift front desk position with weekends and holidays off opened at Greenville Community Health Center, part of the Primary Health Network system, she decided to take it.
Primary Health Network (PHN) is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Pennsylvania, spanning over 16 counties and even extending into Ohio. FQHCs, commonly known as Community Health Centers (CHC), make up the largest network of primary healthcare providers in the Commonwealth, serving nearly a million patients annually at over 400 sites in underserved rural and urban areas. These mission-focused health centers provide integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care services for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.
And while the new position at Greenville Community Health Center offered her a better schedule and work-life balance, she still wanted to be able to work directly with patients again. Luckily for Wolffe, PHN had a solution.
“The opportunity arose to go and get my Medical Assistant [certification] with the NIMAA Program. When that opportunity came up, it was hard to pass up,” Wolffe recalled.
An integral part of the healthcare team, medical assistants serve as liaisons between patients and other medical staff, working in clinics, medical offices, and hospitals to fulfil both administrative tasks and patient care duties such as making appointments, taking vital signs, and drawing blood. PHN offers its employees a 30-week Medical Assistant training program, which includes virtual coursework through the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) and intensive clinical internship on site at Primary Health Network. Once the trainees complete the coursework and required internship hours, they are eligible to sit for the certification exam.
“As far as the learning experience goes, it was a very fast process and kind of overwhelming at first, but once you get into the office and actually get to do the job itself, it’s fairly easy to catch on. I just asked a lot of questions and found the resources to utilize to find the answers,” Wolffe reflected.
Once she completed the training and became a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), a position opened in the same office in which she had been working, giving her the opportunity to stay at Greenville Community Health Center as she transitioned into a new role. “To go a step above what I was at already and with living not even five minutes from the office – it was just perfect!”
Now that she has earned her CMA and is back to working directly with patients again, Wolffe has found a fulfilling career helping the people in her community.
“When the patients tell me how much I’ve made a difference for them – that’s my biggest thing. My favorite thing about working with the patients in my community is building those relationships and getting to know them and making them comfortable enough to come in and making sure they have the best possible care.”
Sometimes, however, making patients comfortable enough to accept care can be a challenge. Wolffe acknowledged that patients who are struggling in this small community are hesitant to answer questions that would help the medical staff at PHN connect them with resources to help. Wolffe and her colleagues will try to explain to the patients why they are asking what the patients might find to be probing questions, and often that will help put them at ease and answer honestly.
Taking the opportunity to become a Medical Assistant has also opened a few more doors for Wolffe to advance her career. Her next goal is to become an office manager, or even perhaps taking the next step and training to become a Licensed Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse. “Now that I’ve gone through the Medical Assistant program as a single mom of three, I know I can do it,” Wolffe explained.
Career advancement opportunities like the Medical Assistant training program is one of many reasons Wolffe would recommend working in a Community Health Center like PHN. She also notes that the health centers have resources that are so beneficial to the underserved community, such as the Community Health Workers that Wolffe can collaborate with to help her patients with any needs they may have, including paying bills, getting access to food, and transportation, and helping increase their access to care.
If you would like to explore a rewarding career in one of Pennsylvania’s Community Health Centers, the Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center is here to help. The PA Primary Care Career Center, part of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers and funded by a generous grant from the Department of Health, serves as a free resource to match primary care providers and staff, such as physicians, dentists, medical assistants, and front office staff, with compatible job opportunities at Community Health Centers and other safety net facilities. For more information, visit the Career Center’s website at https://paprimarycarecareers.org/.