A woman without a medical degree works at a Florida hospital and makes more than $210 a year.

Chabeli Rodriguez, 28, works as an anesthesiologist assistant at a hospital in Tampa, Florida. This brings her more than $210 a year, although she does not have a medical degree, reports CNBC.

Photo: IStock

If you're having surgery in Tampa, Rodriguez's face may be one of the last you see before going under anesthesia.

The 28-year-old is a certified anesthesiologist assistant, which means she helps doctors keep patients comfortable and calm during surgeries or other medical procedures. This well-paying job allowed Rodriguez to pursue the medical career she had always dreamed of without having to attend medical school.

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“When I was growing up, I loved science—chemistry in particular—it was my favorite subject,” she said. “I loved the critical thinking behind it and wanted to pursue a career in medicine.”

In just her second full year on the job, Rodriguez earns more than $200 a year, including her $000 base salary and the overtime shifts she typically takes. In 198, she earned more than $000.

Although the salary allows her to live comfortably while saving half of her income, it hasn't always been easy for Rodriguez.

Her parents immigrated from Mexico and settled in Brooklyn before buying a farm in upstate New York. Rodriguez and her four siblings grew up working on the farm and selling its produce at farmers' markets around town.

“I value my family so much—they are the closest people to me,” Rodriguez says. “Growing up, we didn’t have any free time, but now as adults, we all find time to be together.”

Truss or operating table

Although she is close to her family, Rodriguez said it was difficult for her to break the news to her parents that she did not want to continue working on the farm after graduating from high school.

“I think their dream was for us to continue the business as adults,” she says. “However, I didn’t dream of becoming a farmer.”

Rodriguez stayed in New York to earn an undergraduate degree at Brooklyn College, where it would be more affordable because it is a public school. She applied for a scholarship with some help from her parents. This allowed Rodriguez to complete her bachelor's degree without taking on student debt.

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She took pre-med chemistry, but after graduating, Rodriguez realized the time and cost of medical school was not a commitment she wanted to make.

“I started looking more at physician assistants, with the same responsibilities as a doctor, but with shorter time frames and usually less debt,” she says. “I would have received less, but I felt it was worth it for the time I was putting in.”

Her passion for chemistry and interest in anesthesia led Rodriguez to explore becoming an anesthesiologist assistant. She realized that this was her path.

"I work with a lot of needles"

Even if you are fairly familiar with surgical procedures, you may have never encountered CAA. Currently, CAA's can only practice in 20 states and the District of Columbia, which is one of the reasons why Rodriguez currently lives and works in Florida.

Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs) are highly trained healthcare professionals who work under the supervision of licensed physician anesthesiologists to implement anesthesia treatment plans.

While her job is to keep patients comfortable and pain-free, it's not exactly for the faint of heart.

“I work with a lot of needles, collecting medications,” Rodriguez says. “I put IVs on patients, I can insert arterial lines, needles for epidural anesthesia, needles for blocks that numb certain areas.”

On a typical day, she said, she sees between one and 14 patients, depending on the length of each procedure and the hospital's schedule.

“The pace is very fast, but I like it,” Rodriguez says. “I feel like it continues to push me to be better, faster and smoother in caring for patients.”

In fact, working with patients is one of the main points.

“My favorite part of the job is waking patients up and seeing how comfortable they are,” Rodriguez says. “They wake up and are surprised that the operation has already been done, that they are already awake and recovering.”

From six figure debt to six figure salary

After completing her undergraduate studies, Rodriguez attended Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to pursue a master's degree in anesthesiology, which allowed her to then earn her CAA degree.

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But unlike her undergraduate studies, Rodriguez had to take out loans for graduate school—a total of about $200 for the two-year program.

“Given the salary would be about $150, I still continued to pursue this profession, knowing that I would go into debt,” she says. “I felt I had a realistic chance of paying off the debt within five years.”

She won't even need five years.

Rodriguez ended up not needing the full $200 to pay for school, leaving her balance at $000 when she graduated in 2021.

She rushed to start working immediately after graduation. She was able to obtain accelerated certification from the hospital, which allowed her to quickly begin working and earning as a CAA. Three months after graduating, she received a six-figure salary.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and former Donald Trump decided to temporarily cancel payments and interest on federal student loans, Rodriguez saw an opportunity. Instead of continuing to pay off her debt, she put her monthly payments into a high-yield savings account.

By the time the debt pause ended in September 2023, she had more than enough savings to pay off her debt, and that's exactly what she did. All told, she paid off her six-figure debt in about two years.

She would have liked to have been able to put that money into her investments or just enjoy life, “but going into school I knew I needed to pay off that debt and I felt like it was worth the amount I had to pay,” as says Rodriguez.

How does she spend money

Even after paying off her debt, Rodriguez continued to save about 50% of her income. Partly because she wants to be able to travel freely and save for her future retirement, but also because of her childhood.

Rodriguez says that because she grew up without a lot of money, she has developed something of a "scarcity mindset" to the point that even though she saves a lot, she still gets nervous about worst-case scenarios. such as job loss.

“I just feel like I always want to prepare for it,” she says. “I worked a lot of overtime just to make sure I always had extra income.”

Here's how Rodriguez spent her money in September 2023:

• Savings and investments: $14 in her 726(k), brokerage account and savings account.
• Travel: $3441 for Costa Rica trip, plus airfare and Airbnbs for upcoming trips.
• Housing and Utilities: $1370 for the portion of rent, utilities and fees she shares with her roommate.
• Personal Care: $755 for beauty treatments and work fundraising.
• Food: $662 for groceries and dining out.
• Insurance: $146 for medical and dental coverage.
• Transportation: $39 for gas and tolls.
• Subscriptions: $11 for iCloud storage and HBO Max, split with boyfriend.

Rodriguez keeps her monthly expenses relatively low.

Besides rent and savings, travel is her biggest expense. Rodriguez sticks to a budget to ensure she can take the trips she wants. She could afford to live alone, but she is comfortable living with a roommate, which allows her to reduce her living expenses. She also drives an economical Toyota Corolla.

“I could buy a more luxurious car, I could live in a nicer apartment or live on my own, but that’s not a priority for me,” Rodriguez says. “I try to save on things that are not that important to me, but spend on things that are important to me, such as food and experiences when I travel to another country.”

“It would be a luxury to have a first class ticket.”

Rodriguez has no plans to retire early, but wants to slow down a bit in the near future.

She's looking forward to cutting back on some of the overtime shifts and spending more time on her other hobbies, like working out and creating content for her YouTube channel. Rodriguez posts videos on the platform that raise awareness of the CAA profession and show the world her career.

“I do my best to set that example,” she says.

In terms of financial goals, she has no plans to buy a house anytime soon. She still prioritizes traveling to visit her family in New York and learn more about the world. Her siblings currently live in different places around the world, so she's excited to travel with them to Mexico later this year and visit her brother in Japan next year.

“I just want to keep the cost of living low, but spend the money to make interstate travel more comfortable,” Rodriguez says. “For me, the luxury would be to maybe get a first class or business class ticket on a long flight.”

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