Suleiman Abubakar fled the Congo as a refugee and eventually settled in Uganda, where he began training for a medical career.
“I wanted to become a doctor after my high school,” said Abubakar. “In Uganda, I was able to do a certificate in nursing.”
In 2023, he emigrated to the U.S. But starting over in a new country came with steep barriers, especially the cost of education.
This month, he enrolled at the Laura Rodriguez Medical Assistant Institute at Family Health Centers of San Diego.
“I felt like this is a door opener for me to join the medical health sector,” he said.
An $80,000 investment from Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is covering tuition, books, and uniforms for 10 students at the institute this year. Abubakar would not have been able to afford the program without it, he said.
“I feel like all these scholarships and these programs that come up to help people, most of the immigrants and the underserved people, is really helpful to them, because sometimes you don't have the money that’s needed to fulfill all this,” Abubakar said.
Medical assistants, who take vital signs, prepare patients, manage paperwork, and support clinicians, are among the most in-demand roles in the county, according to San Diego Workforce Partnership data. They are part of a growing shortage of health care workers in the region.
“(The shortage is) going to be significant. And we’re all going to feel it as patients. So one of the things that we can do is continue training up,” said Meredith Johnston, vice president of development for Family Health Centers of San Diego.
Entry-level roles like medical assistants are one of the fastest ways to grow the health care workforce, Johnston said.
“It’s such a great pathway as a first step into a career in health care. Some go on to be licensed vocational nurses and nurse practitioners. But it’s an accessible career for those people who get their GED and are now sort of looking around for ‘what do I do with that?’” she said.
Unlike medical or nursing school programs, medical assistant training typically takes less than a year, allowing students to quickly begin working in clinics and help ease the workload for doctors and nurses.
“Traditionally, it’s very expensive to get trained to go into a career in health care. We hire from our communities. And a lot of them don’t have significant wealth and means to pay large tuitions for training,” Johnston said.
For Abubakar, the scholarship meant more than tuition. It meant a chance to restart his medical journey in a new country. He hopes to work at Family Health Centers of San Diego after graduation.
“After finishing the program, I’m hoping I’ll be getting $26 (an hour), which I feel like it’s a good amount and a good start for somebody who is just joining the health sector,” he said.
Programs like this may only fund a handful of students at a time, but Johnston said they represent a growing strategy of investing in local residents to staff local clinics.
