New medical assistant program at FLC will help combat regional shortage

A new Medical Assistant Certificate program at Fort Lewis College aims to create valuable career opportunities for students while addressing the regional shortage of medical assistants in healthcare centers. 

The program is in partnership with the Southwestern Colorado Area Health Education Center (SWCAHEC), an organization dedicated to enhancing healthcare education and workforce development in Southwest Colorado.

"This program is great for people looking to get a foot in the door in the medical field and potentially earn a higher income than their current job allows," said Melissa Knight-Maloney, Ph.D., chair and professor of Health & Human Performance at FLC. “It’s particularly appealing for people aiming to upscale their skills.”

Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to support healthcare providers, such as assisting physicians during examinations, preparing medications as directed by a physician, scheduling patient appointments, and performing basic laboratory tests.

Knight-Maloney said that around 2018, local health officials noticed a chronic medical assistant shortage. Because this is an entry-level role, the compensation often falls short of meeting the cost of living demands in expensive areas like Durango. This, in turn, results in high turnover rates.

“It's one of the positions that come up as a need from what we hear from providers and health systems,” Hartzell said. “There has been a chronic shortage of medical assistants in our region in pretty much every healthcare setting.”

Hartzell secured three grants from the Colorado Health Foundation, Rocky Mountain Health Foundation, and Telligen Community Initiative to help offer a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) course. She said having FLC as one of SWCAHEC’s partners made sense as FLC is committed to developing high-quality and community-responsive degrees in health science.

 The first CCMA course, open to students and community members, launched this winter with about 18 participants. Hartzell said that while most of the work is online, the class meets in person weekly for hands-on training.

Hartzell said students are attracted to the program because it provides a pathway to further health science education or careers such as nursing, physician assistant, or medical school. Similarly, community members interested in exploring careers in the health sector enroll in the course..

Madelyn Roberson, a junior majoring in health sciences at FLC, enrolled in the course to fulfill the prerequisites needed for pursuing a career as a physician assistant or becoming a medical device sales representative, two paths she’s currently considering.

“This course is a steppingstone for me,” Roberson said. “It will really help me get those hours you need for PA school. You need more than 1,000 hours even to apply.”

Roberson, 21, became interested in healthcare during her first year at Gardendale High School in Alabama. Her mountain bike coach, an orthopedic surgeon, allowed her to assist in the clinic and observe surgeries.

Now, Roberson is learning all the duties of a medical assistant, such as administering injections, billing and coding, basic anatomy and physiology, and patient education. She’s even learning the legal scope and boundaries of a medical assistant’s role.

“It is a lot of work and time-consuming,” she said. “But it’s going really well.”

Students enrolled in this semester’s course will likely take the CCMA exam in June.

Knight-Maloney said that while the organizers are still determining the course's scheduling frequency, it is confirmed that another session will be available next fall.

The program also aligns with FLC's broader initiative to provide workforce certification courses that expedite students' and community members’ entry into the job market and mitigate workforce shortages in various regional sectors.

"As the major educational provider in the Four Corners region, working with local industry and community partners is key to fulfilling our mission and responsibility to serve our region,” said FLC Provost Mario Martinez.

Brandon Mencini, chief executive officer at Mercy Hospital in Durango, said the local industry appreciates that.

“I see a ton of value in the program. I think it will help strengthen the regional workforce. And as we continue to open more clinics, there’s going to be a continuing and growing need to have more available medical assistants here,” Mencini said.