The Right Move

Benedek Toth’s veer from marketing to medicine surprised no one more than himself

Calling himself a “lateral career-move student,” Benedek “Bence” Toth, 29, admitted, “I would’ve never in a billion years pictured myself working in medicine. It never really interested me throughout college the first time.”

That first time resulted in a bachelor’s degree in marketing from John Carroll University in 2014, which led to work at a window installation company, as a beer specialist for Heinen’s and in car sales. Eventually, Toth realized that sales was not really what he wanted to do.

“It’s a good career,” he said. “You can make a lot of money with it if you’re hungry, but to me it didn’t seem very rewarding.”

The Rocky River native, now living in Westlake, researched careers that would provide stability with a comparatively low cost of entry. He also wanted to bypass another four-year program.

Interested in the role of surgical technician, Toth asked an anesthesiologist friend to let him observe several operations.

“The bug kind of bit me,” Toth said. “I remember watching the surgeon repair this hernia, and the guy’s abdominal cavity was completely open, and I very literally saw inside his abdomen. Two hours later, after the surgery, the patient was up in a recovery room and chatting with me. It was just amazing to me what modern medicine is like.”

His sister, then in Cleveland State University’s nursing program, said three things about becoming a surgical tech: He could do a lot more with a nursing degree, make more money doing it, and he could become a nursing assistant.

So, nursing it was. Toth followed her advice, and the Westshore Campus student will soon earn his Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing.

Toth has been working as a nursing assistant at the Cleveland Clinic “full-time, part-time, on and off” throughout his education at Tri-C.

“I would absolutely recommend anybody looking to get into this to start working as a nursing assistant because I think it’s very valuable, good experience that helps marry the classroom to real life,” he said. “It’s also a good way to land a job easily after you graduate.”

Now a clinical technician in a medical intensive care unit on the Clinic’s main campus, Toth plans to get his bachelor’s in nursing within three years through the College’s RN-to-BSN nursing continuum, which enables Tri-C nursing graduates to complete their BSN via Cleveland State’s online program while they continue working.

While admitting that nursing school was one of the hardest things he’s ever done, Toth said he “liked the ease of access and the warm and friendly nature” of Tri-C’s program. “I think Tri-C is great in that sense,” he said. “It’s one of the most well-regarded nursing programs in the Cleveland area, and it really doesn’t cost a whole lot compared to other programs.”

Story written by Michael von Glahn.

Cuyahoga Community College will celebrate the academic achievements of its newest graduates during commencement, June 9 at Byers Field at Robert M. Boulton Stadium in Parma. Check our News and Events page leading up to the event as we highlight members of the Class of 2021.

June 07, 2021

Erik Cassano, 216-987-3577 or erik.cassano@tri-c.edu