Imagine moving to a country where you don’t know the language and are too old to attend high school? Qusai Othman overcame this challenge and is thriving as a member of Omnicare’s Revenue Qualifying team.
“In Jordan, I worked as a dental technician but I needed to learn English to work in America,” said Othman, who moved with his family to America as a refugee in 2016. “To practice here, I learned I not only needed to complete the technician program again, but get an American high school diploma first.”
Since Othman was over 18, he couldn’t enroll in high school. He admits being frustrated and discouraged at how difficult it was to find a place to continue this education.
“Fortunately, I learned of Job Corps where I was able to learn English, get my high school diploma and complete the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program.”
Othman admits the first few days of training were hard speaking English. “But the amazing trainers and managers at CVS Health helped me through and I successfully completed the program and was hired!”
Othman was part of the first cohort of eight students who completed the new 12-week program consisting of six weeks in the classroom and six weeks of on-the-job training. All eight students accepted positions on the Revenue Qualifying team.
“Finding qualified candidates can be challenging, particularly in areas that are home to other companies vying for that same talent,” says Traci Britton, Manager, Workforce Initiatives. “The partnership with the Phoenix Job Corps allowed us to build a customized training program focusing on our needs but also providing great value to someone looking for an opportunity.”
Since the Revenue Cycle training program launched in April 2018, word has spread and Job Corps students are actively seeking to join the program. More students have completed the training resulting in more than two dozen hired at the Phoenix Finance Center supporting Omnicare’s Revenue Cycle and Private Pay operations.
“I’m so proud of this collaboration with Job Corps and Qusai is a shining start example of the quality candidates we get when we implement our core values in our local community,” said Joel Smith, Senior Manager, who oversees the Revenue Qualifying team.
“The students from Job Corps are doing exceptional work. They are dedicated, eager to learn and come to work wanting to do their best every day,” added Smith. “They have a positive impact on our business partners and our staff internally.”
“I love my work and I’ve grown so much professionally and personally,” said Othman, who’s now mentoring students from a new cohort with Job Corps.
In his free time, Othman is learning how to play tennis and is taking classes to pursue his dream of becoming a dentist. “I believe anything is possible and if you want to achieve it, you can.”