DEL NORTE — Rio Grande Hospital recently announced it was launching a new program that will help people earn a Medical Assistant license.

The program is expected to last six weeks and offer training and certification for people looking to gain their Medical Assistant license. The course will include medical billing coding, clerical training with practitioners and certification at the end of the course. 

“Rio Grande Hospital is in the same boat as a lot of the medical field. It has been difficult to obtain applicants and to keep employees throughout the last several years and more so in the most recent years. This was a chance to try to maintain interest in the medical field and offer a full-time position as well as to be paid while attending school. It is a great opportunity, and we are excited to see how it goes,” said RGH representative and program coordinator Jannelle Gallegos.

According to Gallegos, “The Certified Medical Assistant Trainee Program is a hands-on, six-week on-the-job training program that prepares students to take the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam through the National Healthcareer Association. Trainees will be hired by Rio Grande Hospital while completing their Medical Assistant training through self-driven online courses offered by US Career Institute.”

Once the program begins, students will have a year to complete their clinicals and will work alongside Medical Assistants in the field to complete on-the-job requirements needed for certification.

“After Medical Assistants complete the course, we will give them a 24-month contract and a full-time position with a practitioner. We hope this will encourage some to continue school or stay on with us after the contract is complete,” Gallegos said.

Medical Assistants help with a wide range of daily duties in the hospital and surrounding clinics throughout the Valley. Often referred to as MAs they help check in and out patients, take temperature, weight and complete EKGs for their practitioners as well as administer shots and take samples.

“Honestly they can do pretty much everything as a nurse does besides the more complicated medical procedures and they help with clerical duties around the office, including medical billing and insurance,” continued Gallegos.

This will be phase one of the program, and the hospital hopes to add more programs similar to this. Gallegos said the hospital is currently working out details with Trinidad State Junior College to launch a potential CAN program that would also include paid positions and on-the-job training. 

Students who participate will be required to complete 40-hour workweeks with the program which will most likely be broken down into classes and then on-the-job training according to Gallegos.

“The first of the week will be dedicated to classes and lessons. The second part will most likely be dedicated to on-the-job training which helps cover all the bases," she said.

For more information, contact Gallegos at 719-657-4114 or email at [email protected].