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CMA (AAMA) Profiles
"Most people think that working in plastic surgery is only about making people look pretty," says Kimberly Dawn Humphreys, CMA (AAMA). "But it's more than that. It's about building people's confidence." As the office manager of Gulf Coast Plastic Surgery in Pensacola, Fla., Humphreys says her work is beyond rewarding. "The patients choose you to provide them with care that they want," she says. "It's a much different relationship than what you find in the typical physician's office." During 18 years of medical assisting, Humphreys dabbled in industrial health, OB/GYN, and neurology, but she has worked in plastic surgery most of her career. Introduced to the field early on, she says there was no turning back. "During my externship, I worked with an RN who was friends with a plastic surgeon who wanted to hire a nurse," she says. "The RN talked up my medical assisting skills and recommended me," she adds. A few months later, Humphreys was hired. "The physician was an ear, nose, and throat surgeon with a fellowship in cosmetic surgery so he performed facial surgeries," she notes. "I was immediately hooked." Humphreys worked for the surgeon for six years and then had to quit due to her husband's job transfer. "It was hard to leave, but we ended up moving back to the area a year later and I went back to working for the same surgeon for five more years," she says. While taking some time off to have her second child, Humphreys was recruited by another plastic surgeon's office. "I had come in contact with the surgeon's nurse over the years and she thought I'd be the perfect addition to their office," she adds. Humphreys accepted the offer and worked for the office for five years. Then in 2007, she found her place with Gulf Coast Plastic Surgery. "I was just promoted to office manager last summer," she says. While Humphreys is ecstatic about the role, she says her biggest passion is patient care. "When I got promoted, I told the surgeon that I've been taking care of patients for 18 years, so I can't just stop," she says. Luckily, her new position offered a wide variety of responsibilities. Humphreys' days are spent managing insurance authorizations, educating patients about pre- and post-surgery issues, and supervising office employees. She also assists with taking out stitches and other duties during in-office procedures, such as facelifts. "Our surgeons perform many breast cancer reconstruction surgeries," she adds. "Being part of an office that provides such wonderful procedures is the most rewarding part of my job." Humphreys says her background has consistently helped her obtain jobs in plastic surgery. "In all of my positions, my credential was always something that caught the employer's eye," she says. "You mostly find nurses in this field, but when surgeons learn about my training and skills, they realize that I'm a good fit," she adds. And there's plenty of room for more medical assistants in the field, notes Humphreys. "Since I've been office manger, I've already hired three CMAs (AAMA)," she says. "After all, once we're in, our work speaks for itself and proves that we can thrive in this environment."
At the young age of 37, Jacqueline Easley-Crayton, CMA (AAMA), was forced to retire from medical assisting. "I was a victim of a hit-and-run accident that eventually left me disabled," she says. "All my life I wanted to work in the medical field and accepting that I had to give that up was devastating." Easley-Crayton had been working as a medical assistant for three years in various satellite offices affiliated with the Lakewood Hospital in Cleveland when her accident occurred in 1998. Although she immediately began experiencing muscle problems following the accident, Easley-Crayton continued to work as a medical assistant until 2004. "I was eventually diagnosed with degenerative joint disease in my spine, sacral area, knee, and feet; poor gait; muscle spasms; fatigue; and chronic pain," she says. "This left me with days that I could not stand to walk or lay in bed to sleep because the pain was unbearable." Ultimately her worsened condition and liability concerns over personal and patient safety issues meant she had to give up her job. In May 2005 Easley-Crayton received her bachelor's degree in health science and was awarded a certificate in the department of philosophy at Cleveland State University. She also worked as a certified teacher for the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program from October 2006 until July 2009. After coping with the fact that she could no longer practice medical assisting, Easley-Crayton decided to dedicate her skills to advocating for children and parents through the Head Start program in Cleveland. "In addition to my daughter, I have custody of my three nephews, two of whom were enrolled in the Head Start program," notes Easley-Crayton. Learning that the organization provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families, Easley-Crayton couldn't wait to volunteer. Although Easley-Crayton cannot sit, stand, or walk for long periods of time without pain due to multiple arthralgias, joint abnormalities, muscle weakness, degenerative joint disease, severe asthma, chronic pain, and limited mobility, volunteering allows her to give at her own pace. As a member of the organization's Ohio Health Advisory Board, she attends Head Start workshops and health fairs to help educate parents and teachers about health-related topics, such as nutrition and medical conditions, including most recently H1N1. "By working with the nutrition aide at the school, it's really rewarding to help parents understand important information for keeping their children healthy and safe," she notes. Additionally, Easley-Crayton sits on the Ohio Head Start Associate Social Service Advisory Board, where she works with the Head Start disability specialist to conduct workshops about child development and social and emotional development. "I worked in pediatrics for a while and am also an early childhood consultant, so my background helps with communicating sometimes sensitive information to parents." Besides speaking at events, Easley-Crayton performs other duties. She ensures parent volunteers participate throughout the program; encourages staff and parents to attend and participate in activities; monitors recruitment efforts, enrollments, and attendance; and assists with program design and management. "The Head Start program allows me the opportunity to share my passion for health care, to help others, and give back to the community," she says. Easley-Crayton's efforts extend beyond Head Start. She also volunteers for other organizations, including Catholic Charities Community Services, where she served on the board of directors, and her nephew's school. No matter where she lends a hand, she says her CMA (AAMA) credential and AAMA involvement come in handy. "Regardless if I'm disabled, I keep my credential current because the knowledge I maintain can always help others, like the people I educate at Head Start," she notes. Plus, she says staying involved in her profession makes her a valuable volunteer to organizations. "I'll always continue to seek out new volunteer opportunities," says Easley-Crayton. "After all, there are many organizations that can use my medical assisting training and compassion to help meet their mission."
"It was the emotional, physical, and educational experience of a lifetime," says, Louise Ligas, CMA (AAMA), about her trip to Haiti. In February, Ligas spent six days alongside her physician employer Matthew Green, MD, providing medical care to nearly 300 Haitian orphans and residents. As part of a church mission made up of 15 medical professionals and interpreters, Dr. Green planned to visit Haiti before the January earthquake struck. "This was the group's fifth trip intended to provide and establish preventive care," Ligas says. When Dr. Green asked Ligas to join, she couldn't resist. "I always wanted to use my medical assisting skills to do something extraordinary, but I was afraid to go to a foreign country alone," she says. "Knowing I'd be working with Dr. Green gave me the confidence to go." Of her 20 years as a medical assistant, Ligas has worked at the Medical Associates of Louisa in Louisa, Va., for 15 years. She assists Dr. Green with various tasks, including drawing blood and taking vital signs and medical histories. "We accomplish so much on a daily basis," says Ligas. "I knew, together, we could make a difference in Haiti." Thanks to her family, friends, coworkers, and patients, Ligas raised $2,000 in a month, making her attendance on the trip possible. The mission began in the Prolonge area of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, at a small health center staffed with a doctor one day a week and a nurse and medical technician throughout the week. "Our volunteers mostly treated people with worms, alopecia, wounds, and a few cases of malaria," says Ligas. The mission team also educated people about conditions, such as anemia and high blood pressure, and explained how to take medication. "I even assisted a dentist with tooth extractions and taught people how to brush their teeth," says Ligas. Ligas and Dr. Green also worked with Haitian doctor, Maklin Eugene, MD, who travels to various clinics, orphanages, and hospitals, helping residents gain access to medical care. Ligas and Dr. Green went to orphanages with Dr. Eugene and showed him and his intern how to create medical records and chart medications so they could go back and provide the children with continued care. "The kids we saw who had seen a doctor before were in much better health than the others," says Ligas. "Giving more children access to regular medical care was beyond rewarding." Ligas and Dr. Green also taught Dr. Eugene and his intern how to give joint injections. "With an interpreter, you can go anywhere and show anyone the professional connection between a physician and a CMA (AAMA)," says Ligas. "In a place like Haiti, this relationship doesn't exist, so we showed them how beneficial our partnership can be for the doctor and patient." While Ligas did not assist any earthquake victims, she donated a prosthesis to a hospital where many victims were transported. "My niece was born with a birth defect that left her without a leg," Ligas notes. "She gave me her old prosthesis to donate, which was one of my favorite parts of the visit." An unexpected highlight of the trip occurred when Ligas and Dr. Green met an orphan that Dr. Green's family sponsors. "I burst into tears when the little boy looked up at Dr. Green and said, 'I love you,'" Ligas says. "At that moment, I knew I would be back again and again."
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