ORANGE PARK – Beginning next fall, students at St. John’s River State College will have another educational option with the addition of a medical assistant program.

The program consists of 1,300 contact hours spanned across three semesters of training. Some of the courses covered are administrative office procedure, phlebotomy, clinical assisting procedures and medical coding and billing.

“Medical Assisting is to expand the allied health professions here at the college,” said Dr. Holly Coulliette, Dean of Allied Health.

“Medical Assisting can provide a meaningful career and the opportunity to explore additional healthcare professions. Medical Assistants are a vital part of communication between the patient and physician and they are a patient advocate,” she said. “This profession is in demand and it is recognized as one of the faster-growing careers.”

With the number of people needing health care growing in America, as well increased number of outpatient facilities, training is vital to create a medical workforce as well as to staff the numerous medical facilities. Medical assistants primarily work in ambulatory care outpatient facilities, medical offices, clinics and some acute care hospitals.

The program, according to Coulliette, is a blend of administrative, clerical and medical training. Topics such as medical billing and records, arranging for hospital admissions and lab services, phlebotomy, electrocardiograph aide, assisting a physician during patient exams and instructing patients on medication are taught in-depth during the course of the program. Another part of the course will be preparing students for the job search by training in the creation of resumes and cover letters relevant to their new career field. In addition to extensive classroom training, the program also provides practical experience. Two hundred hours of clinical and practical experience take place in various medical settings in and around the tri-county areas to give the student real-world preparation with prospective future employers.

All courses are instructed by professional medical assistants with real-world experience in the field.

“This program will strengthen the health care community as a whole,” said Coulliette. “You [students completing the program] are a patient advocate, so you help the communication within health care, which is usually one of the largest items missing. How many times do patients does a patient walk out and they really don’t understand what they’re doing? Medical assistants can bridge that communication between the patients and physician.”

On completion of the program, graduates will gain the career and technical certification for medical assisting. They will also have the option to sit for the national credentialing examination, which some employers require.

Applications for the first semester of the program will be accepted between May 1 and June 15.