Justin has been in the healthcare field for about six years, and every day he’s able to walk in with a smile on his face.
“Honestly, I just love seeing people’s faces when I walk into the building. People are just always so excited, so ecstatic, like ‘Oh, we’re so happy you came!’ Everyone is so grateful,” said Justin. “[Patient’s] families are basically entrusting you to take care of their loved ones when they can’t. They’re all so happy that you’re there to help them—that’s the biggest motivating factors.”
Although he was hesitant to join the Recruitment Alley team in February of 2021, it’s been an amazing experience for Justin. He never complains, he’s ready to work at any facility that needs him, and he is one of our most requested employees. His can-do attitude is what earned him the title of Recruitment Alley’s Healthcare Rockstar of the Month for June 2021.
Justin started in the healthcare field as a CNA, but after just three months of working he realized that he wanted to do more.
“It’s hard, hard work. Backbreaking work,” said Justin. “People who’ve been CNAs for years, I’ll give it to ‘em, they’re the backbone of the nursing field!
And so, he took the next step to become an LVN. He’s now been working as an LVN for nearly five years, but he’s not finished yet—Justin has also finished his prerequisites for the RN program and hopes to take the next steps to become an RN, and eventually go back to school to earn his BSN.
“It’s just something I want to do for myself and for my daughters,” said Justin, “to show them that even though I’m this old, I can still continue and further my education, just to get that title.”
But for now, Justin enjoys working as an LVN both in the school setting and in Skilled Nursing Facilities. He’s passionate about working in both areas because of the different types of interactions he’s able to get in either setting.
“I love working in school, but I also love working in SNF, just because of the interactions we have with the people; so skilled nursing is probably something that I’ll always do for the rest of my life,” said Justin. “[At the school] I work with students with special needs, so it’s totally different, learning their disabilities and everything like that. I feel like it’s more so the people you meet, that’s what I like about the school.”
Every interaction that Justin has at work is memorable, whether it’s with the staff, residents, or students. His most memorable moment, however, was a reality check when he came face to face with a patient whom he knew personally.
“When I had seen him it was just like… almost like a reality check. He was so young, maybe like 35 years old, double amputee, both his legs were removed,” said Justin. “It was just so sad to see it, but he was in such good spirits; it was just so motivating to see that.”
The patient told Justin that he was excited to do rehab, get therapy, and get back to walking again, which was inspiring to Justin.
“For me, I like to think that I’m healthy— nothing is wrong with me, I don’t have any major issues,” said Justin. “But to see him, just a couple years older than me, lost both of his legs, I feel like that was a moment I’ll always remember.”
Throughout Justin’s years of experience in the healthcare field, he was able to make an abundance of memories, as well as friends in the area. A few of his friends had recommended that he try working at Recruitment Alley sooner.
“Originally, my friend Linda, who works with the company, told me about it in November,” said Justin. “We both worked at the same SNF and she was telling me about it. And I was like, ‘Eh, no, it’s probably gonna be hard, its gonna be stressful, you’re gonna see new faces every day.’”
Interestingly enough, meeting new people and being able to work at different facilities around The Valley has become one of Justin’s favorite parts about the job.
Still, he was initially hesitant about applying and so he waited a bit. Eventually, another friend and RA nurse had encouraged him to check it out.
“Brittney, who works at the company too, texted me saying ‘Hey, I’m working for this company and it’s really great!’” said Justin. “And I was like, wow, this is the second person who told me about you guys, so I gave it a shot.”
And so, Justin joined the Recruitment Alley team, and his time here has been worth the leap of faith that he took. He knows that his hard work is always appreciated and that the entire staff is there to support him, whether that’s through giving him a flexible schedule, communicating openly about any issues, or anything else.
“With other companies that I’ve worked for before I feel like we’re undervalued,” said Justin. “But I feel like here, with this company ,I’m just super valued and I appreciate everything.”
His advice for anyone looking to join the team is to have patience, be able to communicate, and most of all, just go for it.
“The opportunity is great, it’s a great place to learn. You’ll get the skills, you’ll get the training, you’ll get the experience,” said Justin. “I would say that this opportunity is the best opportunity that you would get as an LVN.”
