White Mountains Community College (WMCC) honored the graduates of its Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) training program in a graduation and pinning ceremony on February 12. This cohort of CCMA trainees launched in late 2020 and graduate ready to fill the need for skilled healthcare workers at Coos Family Health Services (CCFHS) and Androscoggin Valley Hospital (AVH).
“The CCMA training program at WMCC is a well-established, nationally recognized program that prepares students to meet the growing need for specially trained healthcare professionals throughout the state,” said Coordinator of Workforce Development and Community Education at WMCC, Tamara Roberge. “These individuals have successfully demonstrated their proficiency in a spectrum of administrative and clinical competencies and we’re honored to recognize them through our pinning ceremony.”
Each CCMA graduate received a certificate of completion and a CCMA pin during the ceremony. Graduates will receive additional training on-site by their employers. After completing another 3,600 hours of paid training, each will receive a certificate from the New Hampshire Department of Labor documenting their expertise and classroom experience.
“Not only were my classes paid for, but since the classes were small, I was able to ask for what I needed and do clinical work while still learning,” said Hollie MacLean, one of the CCMA training program graduates employed at CCFHS. “I can’t say enough good things about this training program.”
The CCMA training program was created in partnership with ApprenticeshipNH, a grant-funded initiative run by the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) to help address workforce needs in the state by developing apprenticeship programs with local businesses. The program included 420 hours of paid classroom and lab instruction at WMCC’s Berlin campus, along with a 160-hour practicum. Students received hands-on training at their worksite and also completed a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Certification.
To learn more about the MA training program, contact Tamara Roberge at 603-342-3062, [email protected] or visit wmcc.edu.
Pictured above: White Mountains Community College students from left to right: Hollie MacLean, Taylor Marcou, Andrea Sanschagrin (the three are employed at CCFHS), Angela McDonough, and Natalie Purrington (both employed at AVH).
