MCC collaboration with Swope Health, Full Employment Council will train medical assistants, an in-demand field
The Full Employment Council's Clyde McQueen (from left), Metropolitan Community College's Tyjaun Lee, Tatia Shelton and Joanne Thies, Swope Health's Renee Sutherland and Rohina Behrmann, MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty, Swope Health's Jeron Ravin and Naiomi Jamal, MCC's Tiffany Hunter and Swope Health's Emily Glen at an April 17 signing ceremony. (Photo by Clay Bussey/MCC)
Metropolitan Community College, Swope Health and the Full Employment Council will partner to establish a six-month program to train certified medical assistants in Kansas City, at no cost for most participants. The initiative was announced April 17 at a signing ceremony at Swope Health.
Once hired into the apprenticeship program, participants will be trained from curriculum designed and delivered by Swope Health and MCC health care professionals. The first group of students will start in June, with two groups of six to 10 students to be trained each year.
Upon successful completion, students will be prepared to take the National Healthcareer Association’s certification exam to become certified clinical medical assistants.
The medical assistant field is expected to continue growing over the next decade at a rate of 15%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the program addresses a major skills gap in the health care field in Kansas City and the region.
“MCC works incredibly hard to meet the evolving needs of our students and community, and that includes by responding proactively when it comes to addressing shortages in the workforce,” Chancellor Kimberly Beatty says.
“By joining forces with Swope Health and the Full Employment Council, we’re creating affordable career pathways for our students, but we’re also going a long way toward meeting the health care needs of the area’s most vulnerable populations.”
While the first few sessions will meet virtually, the new program will later transition to a hybrid format, with classes held at Swope Health Central and the MCC-Penn Valley campus' Health Science Institute.
Those interested in applying for the program should contact Reneé Sutherland at Swope Health: rsutherland@swopehealth.org.