WORCESTER, MA – Date – Quinsigamond Community College, in partnership with UMass Memorial Health, the Worcester SHARE union and the Massachusetts Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS), held a ceremony this week for the first graduates of the Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program. This is the first registered healthcare apprenticeship program in Central Massachusetts.
Twelve UMass Memorial employees have successfully completed this training program to become nationally certified medical assistants. The participants underwent 2,000 hours of full-time, on-the-job training, complemented by eight weeks of classroom instruction.
The program uses an “earn-and-learn” model that allows employees to maintain their salary and benefits while in the program.
Kathie Manning, QCC’s dean of the Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education, credits DAS for funding a medical assistant pre-apprenticeship program, which provided supports that enabled students to earn a livable wage while advancing their careers.
“I’ve seen far too many students who must choose between working and getting an education. When we force them to make that decision, it doesn’t benefit the workforce and it doesn’t benefit the student,” said Manning.
Lynn D’Angelo, director, Ambulatory Clinical Excellence at UMass Memorial Medical Center, noted that medical assistants are critical as they often serve as the first point of contact for patients.
“We have filled many medical assistant positions and have had a 26% reduction in vacancies. Our medical assistants have also helped to increase patient access, enhance patient experience and deliver safe, quality care,” said D’Angelo.
“Helping others is something I always knew I was put on this earth for. Becoming a medical assistant allowed me to do that while building a relationship with my patients, coworkers, and providers, all while learning something new every day,” said Graduate Lindsey Leahy, who works at Spencer Internal Medicine, a part of UMass Memorial Community Medical Group.
Undersecretary of Labor in the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Josh Cutler, noted that apprenticeships have grown as a workforce tool, no longer just for the building trades and applicable to many industries, such as cybersecurity, biotech and advanced manufacturing. He also thanked Governor Maura Healey and the state legislature for supporting the apprenticeship model.
“In Massachusetts…our greatest natural resource is our people; it’s our skilled workforce. You are a shining example of us building and investing in our workforce,” Cutler said to the graduates.
Graduate Afia Damptey, who works at the Spine Center at UMass Memorial Medical Center, commented that she was apprehensive about the program at first because she hadn’t been in school for so long.
“I didn’t realize how much this program was going to change me and further my education,” said Damptey. “At UMass Memorial Health, you can become whoever you want to be.”
“Quinsigamond College played such an amazing role, ensuring all of us students were provided with everything we needed to succeed, especially our teacher, Cheryl DeCoff (QCC Assistant Professor of Medical Assisting, who constantly braved the storms of the unknown and the new to ensure we met our end goal,” Leahy added.