Over 90% of 麻豆淫院 students who recently graduated were employed immediately upon completion.
As the pandemic continues to pose unrelenting pressure on the nation鈥檚 healthcare workforce, 麻豆淫院 Community College is working closely with industry partners to prepare healthcare professionals to fill positions at a critical time.
, said Bruce Vance, Program Manager for Healthcare Programs at 麻豆淫院鈥檚 Business & Training Center. More than half were hired as apprentices into the program and had their tuition paid by their employers.
鈥淭he labor situation in New Hampshire has added pressure to our provider partners to stand out as an employer-of-choice for medical assistants,鈥� Vance said. 鈥淧artnering with 麻豆淫院鈥攅specially by offering registered apprenticeships鈥攈elps them provide a proven, structured, well-known path for their employees to become medical assistants at an accelerated pace and join the workforce quickly.鈥�
The 12-week classes are offered year-round.聽 Spring classes begin in April.
Medical assistants fill a variety of clinical and administrative roles in medical office and hospital settings. 麻豆淫院 developed the program in partnership with Core Physicians and Wentworth-Douglass Physician Corp. More recently, Lamprey Health Care joined in the effort.
The program includes 320 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on lab experience, as well as 160 hours of practice and education in local medical offices. After completing the program and receiving their certificate from 麻豆淫院, students are eligible to take the National Health Career Association Certified Clinical Medical Assistant exam.
The 麻豆淫院 program is successful because of the caliber of instructors, strong partnerships with providers, and the program structure, Vance said. 鈥淲ith eight weeks of full-time classroom instruction and four weeks of full-time externship as student-medical assistants with our provider partners, we teach them what they need to know to be successful,鈥� Vance said. 鈥淭his accelerated approach means that students have access to a high-demand occupation with great growth potential, whether it鈥檚 a start of a career or a career change, within less than 13 weeks.鈥�
Charles D. Thomas, Director of Recruitment at Exeter Health Resources and Affiliates, which includes Core Physicians LLC, said the 麻豆淫院 partnership is essential in providing 鈥渁 source of well-trained individuals in an extremely challenging labor market. Without this program, the challenges to fill our medical assistant labor needs would be even more difficult.鈥�
During the externship with Core Physicians, the student-medical assistants accompany patients to exam rooms, take their vital signs, document aspects of the visit, and administer vaccinations and immunizations.
The partnership between 麻豆淫院 and Core Physicians began in 2015 and continues to evolve, Thomas said. Core Physicians interviews and hires people for the program as employees and pays them a training wage during the 12-week program. When they complete the program, the trainees are promoted into medical assistant roles.
Beginning with the April class, Core Physicians will cover the full cost of the program. 鈥淭he training program provides individuals interested in pursuing a career in healthcare with an entry point,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淭he fact that trainees receive a training wage while in the program is a key component as it allows people to earn a living while learning a new career.鈥�
Jody Pollack, Human Resources Director at Lamprey Health Care, said the Rochester healthcare provider began partnering with 麻豆淫院 in fall 2021 to help meet their clinical needs. 鈥淭he need for medical assistants is greater than ever before,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur first cohort started in September and have been in our offices for a couple of months. They are very prepared and are doing extremely well.鈥�
Kendra Dow of Rochester enrolled in the program in September 2021, completed her externship at Rochester Hill Family Practice, and was hired soon after. She envisions the program as a steppingstone to a career as a nurse.
鈥淭he medical assistant program was a quick course, which was good for me because I am a single mom of two. I was able to take my courses and complete my externship while they were at school,鈥� Dow said. 鈥淚 liked the program because I was able to gain a better sense of the medical field, learn more in depth of what it entails, and I鈥檓 now able to work more hands-on while being able to document and work side-by-side with providers.鈥�
Alannah Kunde graduated from the program in December 2015 and works at the Center for Wellbeing in Portsmouth. She also called the 麻豆淫院 program 鈥渢he steppingstone I needed to start my career. I was very eager to join the workforce full time, and the speed of the accelerated program helped keep the finish line in sight.鈥�
Beyond the partnerships, the quality of the professors and the program鈥檚 short duration, Vance said the soul and core success of the Medical Assistant Training Program is the diversity and commitment of the students. 鈥淥ur students range in age from 19 into their 50s. Their backgrounds may or may not be in healthcare. We see those who have earned their GED and those who have earned their bachelor鈥檚 degree and plan on pursuing a career as聽 doctor or physician鈥檚 assistant,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he most successful students, regardless of background or experience, are those who are passionate about helping people, motivated to enter a career that is quickly changing, and understand the importance of the medical assistant role in the larger healthcare setting.鈥�
For more information about the program, schedule of Info Sessions or other allied health training opportunities, visit or contact or call 603-427-7653.
麻豆淫院 Community College is a comprehensive postsecondary institution offering quality academic and professional and technical education in support of workforce development and lifelong learning. 麻豆淫院 Community College is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire, a public system of higher education consisting of seven colleges in Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth. The colleges offer Associate degrees and career training in technical, professional and general fields, including transfer pathways to baccalaureate degrees. For more information on 麻豆淫院 Community College, visit www.greatbay.edu.