Kent ISD — East Grand Rapids senior Sarah Najar, who attends the Kent Career Tech Center’s medical assistant program, knows it may take a while for her to achieve her dream, but she isn’t letting that deter her.
What is your dream? Sarah wants to be an anesthesiologist, a specialty with key responsibilities during surgery. Besides administering anesthetic, the anesthesiologist meets with the patient prior to surgery, monitors the patient’s vital signs during surgery and provides after-care during recovery.
Why is this your dream? “I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals due to some family issues. So I grew up around hospitals a lot and I just liked the idea of working there.
“As for being an anesthesiologist, it seems like fun. It has a lot of math involved and I’m really good at math. You can also work for yourself. Basically you can create your own business where you can create your schedule or you could be on-call for a hospital.”
What education is necessary for your career, and where do you want to specialize? “To become an anesthesiologist, it will take four years of undergraduate work, four years of graduate work, four years of doctorate work and anywhere from two to four years residency before you can actually work on your own. So in a rough estimate, it will take 12 to 16 years depending on where (I) go to college.
“Once finished, I am interested in going into pediatrics, especially surgical pediatrics. I like children. They’re very cute. I have babysat and I like spending time with them. I believe you have to be really caring, especially to be able to explain to a child what is going to happen to them.”
How are school and your teachers helping you achieve your dream? “My high school, East Grand Rapids, has been helping me look at colleges with good nursing programs and helping me get interviews with the college representatives when they come to our high school.
“The counselors at the school encouraged me to attend the Tech Center to start studying the health career field. During my first year at the Tech Center, I was able to earn a college nursing credit through Ferris State University. Now I am in the medical assistant program, which I feel will be a good way to get into the health field along with having a job while in college.”
