Pahrump Medical Assistant grows into role at Intermountain Health

Medical Assistant Kayla was going to school to become a nurse when she started with Intermountain Health as a patient service representative (PSR). She didn’t get into the nursing program, but that didn’t deter her from working in the medical field.

“I’m all about helping people,” Kayla said. “That’s always been my thing. I don’t like to see people struggling. I do what I can to help everybody, especially here in Pahrump. We don’t have a lot of medical facilities out here. I feel lucky to take care of the people out here.”

Kayla started as a patient service representative at the Pahrump Charleston myGeneration Senior Clinic. With her eyes set on elevating her career, she took emergency medical technician (EMT) classes to help her become a medical assistant.

Due to Pahrump’s rural location, it was the only clinic at the time to offer EMT to medical assistant opportunities with on-the-job training.

Kayla was one of the first caregivers to take advantage of this program. She graduated from the EMT course in December 2019 and then joined the medical assistant pathway in March 2020.? Two years later, Kayla finished the program and passed the National Center for Competency exam to become a Nationally Certified Medical Assistant in November 2022.

“Our caregivers and providers love seeing our caregivers continue to grow and our providers are big support system for them,” said Sonia Pancoast, practice manager at the Pahrump clinic.

?“Providers like Dr. (Saira) Beg and Dr. (Robert) Russ are so proud of Kayla and happy to see her grow. The providers get excited for them as we do.”

Her fellow caregivers weren’t the only ones who felt a sense of pride seeing Kayla grow. The patients did as well.

“I build relationships at the front desk, and when I was transitioning to the back, everybody was so proud of me. They like to see me grow in my career and position,” Kayla said. “I thought that was cool. I love taking care of them. I’ll continue to do it as long as I can. I love my patients, and I want to be there for them.”

Kayla admitted she isn’t one to chase goals without a small push. She’s thankful she received support from other caregivers, which gave her the motivation to go on her professional development journey.

“A lot of people have encouraged me to do more,” Kayla said. “I appreciate that, and now I can move up in the company and grow my career.”

“We support Kayla,” Sonida said. “She’s a perfectionist, so she can be hard on herself, but we rally around her and let her know she’s doing really well.”

Since Kayla has made the leap to medical assistant, others in the Pahrump clinic have made it as well. In all, three PSRs have become medical assistants and two EMTs have become medical assistants.

“It's definitely something we’ve really promoted,” Sonia said.

While Kayla doesn’t have any current plans to return to school to become a nurse, she’ll always be looking for the next step in her career. She recently celebrated her five-year anniversary with Intermountain. Kayla credits the organization for supporting her throughout her journey.

“It's been a big contributor in my career, especially with my professional goals, because I want to continue in the medical field,” she said. “If I ever need help, I can go to any of my teammates or even Sonia, my manager, and they’re just willing to help with anything at any time. I appreciate all the support I have here. I feel like we’re a family here.”

“I encourage other caregivers to do the same path I did, because it’s good for your career if you want to continue in the health care facilities,” Kayla said.