Regina Johnson
My name is Regina, and I would like to share a bit about where I've been educationally, professionally, and most of all, personally. I am a former Army wife of 12 years and have been married to my husband for 26 years. He and I share 2 children and have been stationed in Oklahoma, Maryland and Massachusetts throughout his time in the service.
The best part about traveling was taking my Medical Assisting profession with me. Believe it or not, this is my second career. My first love is Cosmetology for which I have been licensed by the State Boards of New Jersey and Oklahoma.
It was never my intention to enter the medical field. My mother and grandmother worked as CNAs and transcriptionists and encouraged me to join them. I was "anti-patient care" because I remembered how the nursing facility smelled when I would visit them sometimes. I was also scared of the patients. As a child, I did not understand that people who were developmentally delayed or left behind by their children needed care too.
Then in 2019, my grandmother’s COPD progressed into pneumonia, and I needed to find out why someone like her could not just get a new pair of lungs. During her time in the hospital, I told her about Medical Assisting. She gladly blessed off on my decision and said that if I am going to do it,
then do it! I have been going strong ever since. I never imagined that I would have progressed so much!
As I shimmied down the MA path, I dabbled a bit in several specialties. From internal medicine to gynecology, I was able to meet and learn from several medical providers while I was traveling with my husband. When he got out of the Army, I took a chance and applied to be an instructor. How could I possibly stand up in front of adults and speak about medical topics? I’m introverted and would rather be quiet and listen than be focused on.
What I didn’t know is that I would not only be good at it, but I would love it! I love helping change the path of someone’s life with a small nugget of medical information. Being an instructor opened the door for me to eventually become a Regional Program Manager in Cherry Hill, NJ. Recently, I stepped down from that position after 2 years to pursue an exciting position as Center Clinical Manager in South Philadelphia. In the future, my goals include returning to school to pursue my Nursing degree.
Last year, I decided to reach out to AMT to become an active member. I’ve always read the “Pulse” and learned information from the articles to bring back to my students. Knowledge is definitely power. We will never know everything, which is why we must try several avenues to help us navigate the medical world.
Attending my first New Jersey State Scientific Meeting in 2023 and going to the Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO made me realize that there are people out there, doing what I do, thinking what I think, who need different perspectives. This year, I am honored to speak at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh. What I know for a fact is that there is no “I” in team and when we collaborate, we can take over the world!