Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) and Community College of Vermont – Brattleboro (CCV) recently held a virtual graduation ceremony for the students enrolled in the college’s accelerated College to Career medical assisting program.
The nine students included: Jennifer Winte, Olivia Rhodes, Susan Jones, Morgan Gero, Allison Fiske, Hannah Buffum, Stephen Cannon, Emily Harvey, and Mariah Nichols.
Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, students’ family and friends were unable to attend the in-person event, but watched via a live Zoom feed alongside several members of CCV and BMH administration.
Eilidh Pederson, BMH Chief Operating Officer began by thanking the graduates for their dedication to the program, “Each of you are a real asset to our hospital. Your commitment and dedication to BMH helps us to deliver high quality care to our patients, and strengthens the health of our community.”
Joyce Judy, CCV President, echoed Pederson’s sentiments and lauded the graduates for their impressive progress throughout the accelerated program. “Fourteen weeks ago, you were likely overwhelmed and nervous about embarking on this journey. As you sit here today, I’m sure you can confidently say you are excited and ready to get to work.”
As part of the joint initiative, BMH provided full scholarships for nine applicants to the program. Scholarship recipients had their CCV tuition waived, and receive full time employment at the hospital. Upon completion of the academic portion of the program at CCV, students were enrolled in an extensive training program at BMH led by a registered nurse to enable them to work independently as a medical assistant. The training included rotations throughout the various primary care and specialties of BMH’s 11 outpatient practices, as well as the BMH COVID-19 vaccine and testing site, in order to learn how to operate specific equipment and to document appropriately in medical record systems.
Steven R. Gordon, BMH President & CEO shared his gratitude for the hospital’s ongoing relationship with CCV and the commitment by the students, “We’re very committed to providing opportunities for people who have the drive and initiative to enter this growing field and are very proud to welcome you officially into our practices.”
The ceremony concluded with Pederson presenting each graduate with a certificate of placement indicating the practice in which each medical assistant would be assigned for their first role, including placements in primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, and cardiology.
BMH and CCV will begin accepting applications for the next session in late summer 2021 with a program start date slated for January 2022. For more information about the program, visit www.bmhvt.org/MA or call 802-254-6370.