Her Story
About Yakima
Yakima Smith has dedicated 24 years to the healthcare field, where she primarily cares for the elderly community. Her career path began as a teenager when her aunt, a CNA, inspired her, leading her to complete a CNA course in high school after moving to live with her grandmother. She holds a home health aid certificate and a mental health certificate, and has built an extensive background through numerous private duty cases and work in various settings, including wound care, OT, PTT, and rehab. Yakima attributes her success to not being afraid of hard work, which has helped her grow personally and earn the trust of her clients. She values trust, honesty, and respect in her work, and advises being patient with clients while doing the best to make a difference for them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Yakima
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm not afraid of hard work, and I think that has propelled me into where I am today. It's helped me to grow as a person. Anytime I'm with my clients, they trust me to make sure that they're being taken care of, they're in the best hands. When I leave, they know I've been there.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be patient with the clients. And one more would be, for me, that I've learned along my career is do the best you can to make a difference for them.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you don't love people and love to help people, don't get in this field. It's not for you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge for me is that I wasn't able to finish nursing school. And so I don't have those big credentials, you know, like RN, LPN, that type of. But I've grown more into being more hands-on, and so it's more of an appreciation and not a regret at this point.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Trust, honesty, respect.
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