Qirui’s Success Story
Qirui Zhang’s search for a meaningful career helping people led her to Introduction to Healthcare Employment and Apprenticeship Programs (IHAP) and the Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) Training Program.
Now, Qirui is a Medical Assistant caring for patients and making a difference at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Qirui Zhang was facing a pivotal moment in her life and career when she enrolled in the Introduction to Healthcare Employment and Apprenticeship Program (IHAP). As a Certified Professional Accountant balancing work and family for a decade, she was ready for a significant change:
“When I first joined the healthcare introduction program last year, I honestly didn’t know what direction my life would take.
I just knew I wanted something better — something stable, something meaningful, and something where I could actually help people.”
Although initially Qirui couldn’t fully picture herself working in the healthcare field, the guidance from her IHAP instructors gradually helped her build her skills and confidence as a caretaker:
“Our instructors were very knowledgeable and patient. They didn’t just show us skills once and move on. They corrected us, encouraged us, and made sure we truly understood what we were doing.”
After completing IHAP, Qirui participated in the Healthcare Training Fund-sponsored Certified Nursing Assistant (NA-C) training program and earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license. The lessons she learned from her Healthcare Training Fund instructors ‘became real in a completely different way’ once she began her Medical Assistant apprenticeship at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in January 2026:
“I met patients who were going through some of the hardest moments of their lives. Some of them looked at me and said thank you — not for anything big, but for being there, for helping, for treating them with care.
In those moments, I learned that you don’t always have the perfect words. But you stay present. You listen. You comfort them. And sometimes, you simply encourage them to take it one moment at a time.”
Qirui says that her instructors, mentors, and coordinators’ guidance was crucial for preparing her to enter the healthcare field. Her lived experience helping patients as an NA-C helped her realize that healthcare is about more than technical skills:
“Healthcare is also about consistency and compassion. And it’s about showing up, even when things are difficult.”
Learn more about the NA-C Training Program.
