West Virginia native, John Amos, has known his calling from a young age: healthcare. Many children aspire to become physicians or nurses in hopes of saving lives. However, Amos explained he is rather drawn to the behind-the-scenes roles in healthcare settings.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the healthcare field, but I knew I didn’t want to provide hands-on care in a clinical position,” Amos said.
Amos’ interests landed him in the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management program at Fairmont State University, which he credits for jumpstarting his career at the Genesis Pierpont Center long-term care facility in Fairmont. Despite his recent successes, Amos has faced his fair share of challenges and barriers on the path to his professional aspirations.
Amos grew up in a single-parent household in Salem, where he lived with his mother while his father was incarcerated. Regardless of his circumstances at home, Amos received unwavering support from his aunt and uncle who both influenced him to earn a college degree and pursue his passions.
With the assistance and some inspiration from his business teacher from Liberty High School, Mrs. Springer, Amos found the perfect fit in Fairmont State’s Healthcare Management offerings.
“I talked about healthcare management a lot in high school,” Amos said. “I fell in love with the business side of things with the help of Mrs. Springer, and we found the program at Fairmont State.”
Fairmont State University Professor of Healthcare Management, Raymond Alvarez, noticed potential in Amos soon after he began the program and eventually encouraged him to leave his current employment in search of work experience relative to his field of study.
“From the start, he was an excellent student,” Alvarez said. “About a year ago, I suggested he leave his employment at Walmart and seek healthcare experience. He was hired at Genesis in Fairmont as a part-time activities assistant and eventually he became full-time.”
Most recently, Amos accepted a full-time position at the Genesis Pierpont Center as the Director of Activities, where he leads the activities program which aims improve the quality of life for residents by planning recreation-based activities that promote social interaction.
“Providing such supportive services is one of the mandates by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a condition of participation that is highly regulated,” Alvarez continued. “It helps a resident realize they are not alone, and that there are others in the same situation. Activities benefit the residents psychologically, socially, spiritually and physically. These range from small group meetings to themed events.”
Amos described his day-to-day duties consisting of attending admissions meetings and therapy sessions as needed and discussing activity preferences of the residents while providing guidance to various teams within the facility to improve the quality of life for residents. Among other responsibilities, he schedules daily activities for residents to engage and socialize and manages the center’s dining room, monthly event calendar and social media pages.
“I love my job and I love what I’m doing,” Amos said. He expressed that he enjoys his resident-centered role, although he doesn’t serve in a clinical position.
“It allows me to spend time with our residents and make a difference in their lives,” he added.
Amos explained Fairmont State’s Healthcare Management program has prepared him to be a better advocate for residents, and well-versed in different areas including business, financial and clinical components of long-term care management. He also credits his mentor and professor, Alvarez, for his guidance along the way.
“I’m so thankful to Dr. Alvarez and for everything he’s done for me. He’s helped me get to where I am today,” he concluded.
Amos is slated to graduate in the spring and plans to continue his education at Fairmont State University in pursuit of a Master of Science in Healthcare Management, with the ultimate goal of becoming a long-term care facility administrator.
To learn more about offerings made available through the Fairmont State University Healthcare Management programs, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/healthcaremanagement.
Original source can be found here
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