You could say that nursing runs deep in Demetryce Johnson’s family. After working as a custodian for 19 years, she decided it was time to take that career path.
Demetryce’s mother and oldest sister are registered nurses.
“I was around nursing a lot” says Demetryce who worked in an Los Angeles County rehabilitation center, “it gave me the sight of wanting to help a person more than just cleaning their rooms. I wanted to be able to personally, one-on-one, help the patients,” she explains.
Her desire to help others wasn’t limited to her county work. Not only was she a custodian, but she was also an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provider, she took clients to doctor’s appointments, cooked food for them and cleaned their homes.
Demetryce’s interest grew bigger over the years, and one day she decided to look for options on the Internet, she saw an ad about JVS SoCal’s HealthWorks program, an eight-week cost-free course that prepares students to become Certified Nursing Assistants.
“Actually, I didn’t think it was real because it said ‘free.’ I said, ‘well, let me apply to it’ and I got the phone call from a young lady… and it went from there,” adds Demetryce.
Life took an unexpected turn in 2023 as her son passed away, and now feels responsible for her daughter and granddaughter. Demetryce’s mother is now a senior citizen and eventually she will have to take care of her.
But it was never too late to take the next step in her health care career.
“It wasn’t time for me to become a CNA. It is at a timing point for the careers that you want to become,” Demetryce.
Her experience as a student at the HealthWorks program was better than she expected, even though she admits she wasn’t computer savvy. Besides hands-on training, she received help in preparing her resume as well as mock interviews. As a perk of the program, she was able to interview with JVS SoCal’s employer partners on graduation day.
“It was it was different for me to start off because being on Zoom, I’m not quite into computers, but the class with (the instructor) was different. She’s such a great person to where she can get you into the subject of the matter,” adds Demetryce.
As her new career unfolds, Demetryce sees becoming a CNA as her first step. Soon, she plans to further her education and become a Licensed Vocational Nurse and even following the footsteps of her relatives to becoming a Registered Nurse one day.
If you’re inspired by Demetryce’s story and would like to help someone else achieve their dream, please donate today.