Graduate creates two health-related businesses

She is 48 years old, and seven years ago, she and her partner, Pedro Alejandro Salamanca, saw the need to contribute to technical training for employment by establishing an educational center. They realized that few centers in the city offered this type of training, and those that did were created by people outside the nursing profession. “So my partner and I said, if they, who have nothing to do with our nursing profession, could do it, we, with all our expertise, can do it too, and even better.”.

This is how Infortec, a technical training institution, began its journey, opening its doors with four programs: nursing assistant, pharmacy, public health, and oral health. The first two have been very well received in the community, as their prestige—having also been teaching at the University of Cundinamarca for two decades—has helped them establish their educational project.

“I remember that our operating permit was approved at the end of August, after our competition had already started. Nevertheless, we began with a good number of students, some of whom my partner taught, and others I taught. The motto we've used ever since is: The School of Professors, because being university educators has given us prestige, since our experience carries weight.”.

It began with fifteen students, driven by a commitment to excellence in its programs, which has set it apart and has always been meticulous in this regard. “Higher quality training leads to greater recognition and, consequently, a greater number of students who want to study with us. That's why we invest heavily in assessment and self-assessment tools, and in internship agreements with institutions like Clínica Junical and others that our competitors don't pursue as diligently as we do. This has allowed us to grow, and today we have around 130 students.”.

However, the real test came with the Covid-19 pandemic, which nearly caused his business to collapse. “It was very difficult because we had a reduction in enrollment of around sixty percent, but over the years, we have recovered, returning to almost the same enrollment level we had before the health crisis. We have already restarted hiring teaching staff and are looking into the possibility of opening another branch in a nearby town.”.

But his entrepreneurial tenacity doesn't end there; it has always driven him to take actions that have led to growth and diversification of his offerings. “I have another venture that I created during the pandemic with Andrés Fierro, a nurse who graduated from our university. It's a home healthcare provider called Preserva Salud. We offer sixteen services, including medicine, physiotherapy, nursing, vaccinations, and pre-hospital care, among others. We currently have a significant contract with Salud Total for this purpose.”.

This initiative brings together what experts call a virtuous circle. “It has been a satisfying experience because many of the young people I train as technicians go on to work at the healthcare provider in different roles, and there they gain valuable experience.”.

This is the kind-looking man, married, with a daughter and a son, whom UCundinamarca shaped for life, democratic values, civility and freedom, and to whom, in his own words, "I owe everything, since that's where I found my wife, as she studied nursing with me, not to mention that they linked me to their academic work where I teach community processes as well as health education and from which I was motivated to create these two ventures.".

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