It has been a busy year for NTCC¡¯s Medical Assistant program.
In March of 2018, NTCC¡¯s Medical Assistant Program underwent reaccreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).
After a yearlong preparation and self-study, the Medial Assistant Department received a stellar review and was granted a maximum 10-year, accreditation status.
This is the second time in the programs¡¯ twelve-year history that they received this esteemed review.
¡°Obtaining this length of accreditation shows our adherence to educational standards and providing our students with the knowledge and skills required to become successful Medical Assistants,¡± said Amanda Hutchings, Practicum Coordinator and Instructor for the program.
Not only were the faculty busy preparing for re-accreditation, they also developed a dual credit Medical Assistant program known as the ¡°Bridge Program¡± to provide students with an opportunity for a seamless educational pathway from high school, to NTCC, to Texas A&M Texarkana.
¡°The Bridge Program is an excellent way to give our students a base to build their healthcare careers from and allows them to earn a certificate, an A.A.S. degree, and a BAAS degree within about three years of graduating from high school,¡± said Dr. Tawny Nix, Program Director for Medical Assisting.
The ¡°Bridge Program¡± was piloted with Mt. Pleasant High School in the 2017-2018 academic year with Daingerfield and Winnsboro High Schools joining the program this year.
¡°We are very pleased to provide our community with well- trained medical professionals and give our students opportunities for employment along each step of the pathway. We look forward to working with additional high schools in the future,¡± said Dr. Nix.
Medical Assistants are multi-skilled health professionals who are specifically trained in both the administrative and clinical aspects of healthcare.
They work primarily in physician clinics and ambulatory facilities with their employment value being recognized in more specialized healthcare settings.
The goal of NTCC¡¯s Medical Assistant A.A.S. program is to prepare competent, entry-level medical assistants in cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
The program also offers a certificate in Medical Billing and Coding and an A.A.S. degree in Healthcare Management.