About a month after Ernestina Adu-Gyebi graduated from the Allied Health Training Program at New Community, she started her first day of work at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center as a nurse assistant.
Previously, 31-year-old Adu-Gyebi worked as a home health aide and interacted with one patient at a time in a home setting. At Newark Beth, it’s a much faster pace. She cares for multiple patients—checking their vital signs or helping them with daily activities such as washing or going for short walks—and also assists nurses with their duties.
“I get to help so many people out,” she said. “I’m learning so much.”
Abu-Gyebi is one of several graduates from New Community Workforce Development Center’s Allied Health Care Training Program that have been hired at Newark Beth, according to Colleen Murphy, the hospital’s assistant director of human resources.
Upon completing her training at NCC, Abu-Gyebi earned certifications for Phlebotomy Technician, EKG Technician and Home Health Aide from the National Certification Medical Association and National Center for Competency Testing.
Another graduate, Ruby Danso, also landed a job at Newark Beth and said that it has changed her life. A former Avon cosmetics salesperson, Danso said she’s now determined to advance professionally in the medical field.
If you’re not going to do it well, “it’s better you don’t do it at all,” she said.
Abu-Gyebi credited the Workforce Development Center with connecting her to her current employer, submitting an application and preparing for the interview. “They helped me in almost every way,” she said.
