Amy Grisa

Like many young adults, Amy Grisa enrolled at a four-year college after she graduated from Elyria Catholic High School in 2008.

But after attending classes at the University of Akron for two years, Grisa admits that she was still uncertain about her career and future.

"I felt like I was just spinning my wheels in college. I had no idea … I still did not know what I wanted to do," Grisa said. "I was wasting money and time."

So Grisa sat down with her parents and discussed her options - a conversation that steered her to the Adult Career Center at the Lorain County JVS.

"My brother, Michael, is a JVS graduate, and he always had great things to say about the school and its teachers," Grisa said.

Through the JVS website, www.lcjvs.com, Grisa perused options and programs, including Computerized Business Technology. This nine-month comprehensive office training program, taught by instructor Terri Brennan, prepares students for careers as Administrative Assistants, Clerical Secretaries, Accounting and Data Entry Clerks, Medical Secretaries, Electronic Health Records Clerks, and Patient Service Representatives.

"It was a good fit," said Grisa, "and Terri was an excellent teacher who was a tremendous help and support throughout the entire program."

Grisa decided to take advantage of the program's option to specialize in Electronic Health Records. "I enjoyed learning about health and the human body in high school," she said. "This program (which she completed in June 2012) really piqued my interest because I wanted something where I could interact with people. I never knew a program like this existed … something that comprehensively encompassed all that I wanted to learn."

Her training, which helped her earn her Microsoft Office Specialist Certification, led Grisa to Akron Children's Hospital. At her new job she's doing what she enjoys most - working with people, especially children - as a patient service representative in the hospital's pediatric pulmonary unit.

"I'm the last person a patient sees before they are discharged, so the dialogue I have with these children and their parents is important," said Grisa.

As a patient service representative, the former Avon resident schedules appointments and addresses parents' concerns about things like billing and co-payments. She also spends a good portion of her day using the hospital's electronic health records (EHR) computer system. "We had hands-on training with an EHR system at the JVS and this training gave me a feel for how these systems work in a real office setting."

And she's very optimistic about her future with Akron Children's Hospital, which offers college tuition assistance to employees.

"There is great opportunity for growth," said Grisa, who is thinking about pursuing a degree in health care administration. "But first I'm going to work a couple of years, get a feeling for my job and gain some experience."