Linda Brewster was 50 years old when she had to reinvent her entire life. She had been married for 18 years when, suddenly divorced, she had to move from Sonoma County to the small, somewhat isolated community of Willits. Feeling like a lone wolf without any friends, Linda knew she had to somehow find a job and support herself—even though she hadn’t worked outside the home in the past 18 years.

Prior to her marriage, Linda had worked as a waitress and a barber—neither which appealed to her any longer. Looking through the local paper, she spotted an ad for a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class, and thought it sounded right for her.

She enrolled in the CNA class, and met Lola Fuller, Program Coordinator for the Healthcare Training Initiative. Lola informed Linda that MPIC might be able to assist with her training. Linda visited Lola at the Mendocino Works Resource Center in Ukiah, and discovered that MPIC would indeed be able cover her tuition, uniform, shoes, and some equipment.

Sue Everett, her CNA instructor, was “wonderful,” and working with Lola as her Case Manager gave Linda more support than she “could have ever asked for…I felt I could ask Lola anything—she never judged me, and always tried to help me find a way to achieve my goals.”

Linda had to start from scratch in every area—creating a resume, writing cover letters, and learning how to interview—what to say, what not to say—even how to dress. When it came time to actually interview for positions, Lola asked her if she would care to participate in a “mock” interview, where she would have a chance to polish her interviewing skills. Remembering her first mock interview, Linda recalls, “It was hilarious—I don’t know how they kept a straight face during the interview—I had never had an interview before.”

Linda took to heart all the helpful suggestions she was offered and asked for a second mock interview to really polish her presentation. The practice paid off—on every interview Linda took part in from that point on, she received excellent feedback.

Mendocino Works is so great—they have every resource you could possibly use—all you have to do is take advantage of it. Every time I asked for help, I got it. In fact, it seemed that everyone I came in contact with had the primary goal of ensuring that I would succeed.”
Linda had developed a good camaraderie with other students in her CNA class—in fact, three of them decided they wanted to take a Phlebotomy class through Boston Reed in Santa Rosa. MPIC was able to cover transportation and lodging expenses for all three students.

At every turn, Linda wanted to take on additional training to further her chances of employment in the medical field. After the phlebotomy class, Linda asked Lola about becoming a Certified Medical Assistant, and Lola informed her she needed to get a letter of intent to hire before MPIC could cover her tuition. Linda did better than that—she got herself hired at Ukiah Valley Primary Care as a Medical Assistant, with the understanding that she would be completing her training as a Medical Assistant on
Saturdays in Santa Rosa. MPIC was then able to cover the $794 necessary for Linda to earn her medical assistant certification. Linda was overjoyed—actually working with patients on the job enabled her to directly relate her classwork to real life situations.

Linda knew every step of the way that she needed to do her part in creating her own success, and she worked hard to do just that. MPIC’s assessment program revealed something she had known for a long time—she needed to brush up on her math skills, particularly if she was serious about working in the medical field. Linda burned the midnight oil as she went through her Medical Assisting training, and was fortunate to meet a young classmate who drove all the way from Santa Rosa to Willits to help her with her homework—someone who said “I’m not leaving until you get this.” One thing she learned through the process is you can’t get help if you don’t ask for it—and sometimes when you do ask, you may receive more than you could ever have imagined.

All her hard work is paying off for Linda and she loves her new job. I adore the patients—I love trying to make them more comfortable, to get them to laugh so they’re more at ease. I love going to work—I learn something new every day.”

Linda passed the Certified Medical Assistant exam in March, 2003 and will receive her certification soon. Asked what her professional goals are now, Linda says, “I’m 51 years old—so I’m not really interested in going on to nursing school. I like working in a doctor’s office, and they’ve offered to train me in the front office so I can learn all aspects of the medical office experience and how that machine runs. I also want to learn Spanish so I can communicate with our Spanish patients.”

Linda would recommend Mendocino Works to anyone seeking employment or a career change: “You get the support of the entire resource center—everyone is so polite, so welcoming, and so professional—you just make yourself a cup of coffee and knock yourself out. The coverage of training costs is wonderful, but what’s even more important is the support you receive at Mendocino Works. They helped me gain back my self-confidence, regain my sanity, bring back my motivation—at a time when everything in my life was falling apart. At times like that, it’s sink or swim. If you work hard and follow your bliss—do something you truly love—you can’t fail.”

Linda Brewster