Elouth was well on his way to his dream of working in healthcare when his career path was disrupted.

“In Africa I was a nurse. I worked in a training clinic because it was my first year to start working, but then we came here.” Elouth and his family were refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, forced to leave their home in search of safety. In 2019, they were resettled in their new home in Eastern Iowa through the Catherine McAuley Center (CMC).

Though Elouth and his wife found employment in Iowa – Elouth in manufacturing and his wife in operating an in-home daycare through CMC’s Refugee Child Care Business Development Program—his nursing training and certification did not transfer to the U.S.

Knowing his goals of returning to a role in healthcare, case managers at CMC encouraged Elouth to first focus on learning English. After a year of studying English at CMC and then at Kirkwood, he’s now working toward certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) through a new program at CMC.

“Outside of class I’m working from 3pm to 12am, and I go to class at 9am. It’s a hard job so sometimes I’m very tired.” With Elouth’s determination comes a demanding schedule, but he has become a leader in his Basic Healthcare Communications Class, offered through a partnership between Kirkwood Community College and CMC. Claire Tupper, who teaches the class, says. “His English is very strong and he has past healthcare experience, so he can help other students understand,” though Elouth would say he learns from other students, too. “It’s great because we’re all learning. They can teach me something and I can teach them something.”

Beyond helping students reach their career goals, the CNA program is meeting a critical need for healthcare workers in Iowa, and adding to the pool of professionals who have an understanding of the unique health needs of the refugee and immigrant communities. “[The class] is helping me a lot because it helps me learn many medical terms in English. It helps me communicate to patients and learn how to treat my patients,” says Elouth.

Elouth and his 10 other classmates will continue attending Basic Healthcare Communications through June, and can then enroll in Kirkwood’s KPACE program. Many students in the class are also studying class material one-on-one with volunteer tutors at CMC and expect to be certified in November, at which time they will enroll in an apprenticeship program and finally be employed as CNAs.

You can give to support this new generation of healthcare workers and other clients who are pursuing their goals at CMC. The first $4,000 in gifts received between now and June 30 will be matched by Kepros Physical Therapy & Performance!