Success Stories
John Morris enjoys a new career in health care—Story and photo by Bonnie Henderson
John Morris of Eugene worked as a designer most of his life. Today he’s working as a nursing assistant and considering continuing his education to become a physical or occupational therapy aide or even a therapist.
It’s an ambitious goal for someone who describes himself as “not a spring chicken.” But a career in health care offers the kind of job security that Morris, at age 59, is looking for. And he’s found a surprising congruence between design and therapy, along with a high degree of job satisfaction.
After many years working in design at the same sporting goods company, Morris found himself out of a job when the company reorganized and outsourced all of its manufacturing and most of its design work. He found work as a carpenter with a high-end design-and-build construction company that did residential, commercial and public buildings. They emphasized green design. But after three-and-a-half years, that company did not withstand the housing recession, and Morris was again unemployed.
Aware of the continuing growth in health care employment, Morris signed up for the entry-level certified nursing assistant course at Lane Community College. Upon completion of the course in June 2010, he immediately took and passed his state certification exam and was working at a skilled nursing facility within weeks. He will receive health care benefits after three months’ employment.
“I enjoy it a lot,” Morris says. “I care a lot for the residents. As a newcomer to care-giving I feel best about my ability to engage residents whose social interactions may have declined since entering a facility. As a 'mature' aide I naturally share more life experiences and points of reference with residents compared to the more typical young, entry-level health-care worker.” He says many of the students in his CNA class were older students.
He plans to take the next level of CNA training. "And I may not stop there," he says. "As a designer, occupational therapy especially interests me," he says, noting the congruence between creative design and finding a way to help people re-learn skills of daily living. "There's a certain resourcefulness and adaptation in both that I like."Lane Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
Published October 2010 by Lane Community College Marketing and Public Relations.
