Cleveland State Aims To Supply The Need For Medical Assistants
Cleveland State Community College officials said the college is dedicated to providing an essential education for healthcare students, including medical assistants, who will become professionals in our surrounding areas.
“In several ways, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shift our economy and the need for supply and demand,” officials said. “Many positions in healthcare have taken on more responsibilities and duties to serve their communities.
“Since the pandemic, the demand for medical assistants has grown. Many LPN’s and RN’s were recruited to the hospitals, home health and nursing facilities to care for COVID-19 patients who were critically ill. This has left medical offices struggling with replacing those employees.
:As the patient intake increased, it fueled the need for additional clinical staff. Medical practices, especially primary care offices, extended their hours to help cover the increase in patient visits. This means additional staff is needed to help cover additional hours and days that clinics are open.”
DeAnna Brown is the practice manager at Tennessee Valley Urology Center. She works with medical assistants everyday and sees the value they bring to the healthcare field.
“AAMA certified MA’s have stepped in and saved our practices,” said Ms. Brown. “We are working longer hours and/or working with reduced personnel, certified MA’s have the training and knowledge base to step into any role, whether it be clinical or business, they have been trained to do both and that makes them invaluable to medical practices.”
Jennifer Evett is a Cleveland State graduate who works as a medical assistant, serving the Tennessee Valley Area. She graduated in 2011 and believes the college provided her with the knowledge and hands-on experience she needed to excel in her career today.
Ms. Evett said, “Cleveland State provided clinical and administrative skills to be able to perform tasks for doctor offices within my scope of practice. I learned a valuable understanding of government guidelines and requirements to ensure the standards were met.”
At the time Ms. Evett wanted to attend college, she chose CSCC because of the access, reasonable tuition and the many options she can choose from to pursue her degree. She remembers how much she enjoyed being on campus and getting involved with other students.
While attending CSCC, Ms. Evett won the medical assistant award for being a leader within her graduating class of healthcare students and her professional performance during her internship.
“It can be stressful at times,” said Ms. Evett. “Trying to balance CDC guidelines, your practice’s policies, patient and staff safety and patient’s personal beliefs can be difficult. However, being available to care for patients during these difficult times has been rewarding.”
Students who would like to be a part of CSCC’s medical assisting program will be able to learn and experience in the brand new state of the art Health and Science Center. The building gives students real life medical environments with replicated doctor offices, ambulance simulators and laboratories. The center opened in the Spring of 2021 and classes are being held now.
“Students in the CSCC Medical Assisting Program learn both administrative and clinical competencies to prepare them for working in a variety of medical facilities,” stated Dr. Ann Cunningham, acting medical assisting director at CSCC. “This comprehensive training has never been more important than in the past two years. We are proud that many of our graduates have been serving this community faithfully at physicians’ offices across the region throughout the pandemic.”
For more information on the medical assisting program or registration for fall classes, visit www.mycs.cc/fallprograms or [email protected].