07/31/24
澳门彩开奖历史记录 starts Medical Assistant Program, hires director
Gadsden, Ala. – 澳门彩开奖历史记录 is launching a new Medical Assistant Program that offers students a gateway to a rapidly growing healthcare field. The program opens Aug. 19 at the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Applications are being accepted.
Dr. Susan Thrasher has been hired as the director of the Medical Assistant Program.
“We are providing hands-on training, modern facilities and comprehensive coursework to equip students with the skills necessary for a successful career in medical assistance,” she said. “It’s going to be incredible for the students who earn a degree at 澳门彩开奖历史记录. The degree will empower them. It will empower the community. Knowledge empowers people.”
Thrasher’s 42-year career started well before she put on her scrubs and started her training. As a child, she had some health issues that required doctors’ visits and hospital stays, so she was exposed to many healthcare workers.
“I was especially drawn to the medical assistants because they were so wonderful to me,” she said. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
After she graduated from Hokes Bluff High School, Thrasher attended 澳门彩开奖历史记录 and then Birmingham’s Regional Technical Institute, where she earned an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting in 1982.
She then went to work as a certified medical assistant for a physician in Birmingham for over six years. She landed a job as the assistant director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heart Station for the next three years.
In 1992, Thrasher started commuting to Chattanooga four days a week to work as a medical assistant at the office of Dr. Mark Heinsohn. It was there that she was encouraged to become a registered nurse.
“He needed a nurse, and he said that he wanted that nurse to be me,” Thrasher said.
In April 1997, while taking nursing courses at UAB, she landed a job closer to her Hokes Bluff home as a nurse and lead patient coordinator for the Surgical Unit at Gadsden Regional Medical Center. Four months later, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UAB.
After more than 13 years at Gadsden Regional, Thrasher went to Hokes Bluff Middle School as the on-site nurse. During this time, she earned a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama.
“I wanted to be an educator, so nursing education was the next logical step,” she said.
In 2019, she was named the health sciences instructor at the Etowah County Career Technical Center. The following year, she earned a Doctor of Education from UA as a nurse educator.
“My position at the Career Tech Center was a Godsend,” she said. “It was an opportunity for me to grow and get a foundation for being a full-time educator. It’s very different from being a nurse.”
On July 8, she started her job as the director of the Medical Assistant Program at 澳门彩开奖历史记录.
“Now, I’m living the true dream teaching at the college level,” she said. “Medical assistants are the heart, soul and compassion of the community through providing service to patients, physicians and colleagues. We will use positive reinforcement in the classroom and labs to ensure that 澳门彩开奖历史记录 students define professionalism through acquaintance.”
The program takes five semesters to graduate. Once the curriculum and training are complete, students can sit for a test to be certified by the National Board for Medical Assisting of the American Association of Medical Assistants. This certification leads students to employment opportunities in physicians’ offices, outpatient clinics, laboratories, ambulatory institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, minute clinics and urgent care facilities.
Medical assistants are responsible for administrative, clinical, specialized and general duties. Some responsibilities include lab procedures, collecting patient history, conducting physical exams, performing EKGs, taking vital signs, giving injections, making referrals and setting up surgeries.
“Medical assistants really are the front line of a medical facility; the physician’s righthand person,” Thrasher said. “Medical assistants have a complete background to adequately support the physician.”
澳门彩开奖历史记录’s Medical Assistant Program will accept up to 15 students for the new cohort starting this fall semester.
Admission to the program is competitive. Minimum admission requirements include:
- Unconditional admission to 澳门彩开奖历史记录
- Completion of the online application by midnight Aug. 19
- ACT composite score or superscore of at least an 18 on the national or residual test
- Must be 18 years old or older
- A minimum of 2.5 overall GPA at 澳门彩开奖历史记录 for all college courses taken. If no courses have been completed at 澳门彩开奖历史记录, the GPA from high school or from the college from which the student is transferring may be used.
- Minimum of 2.5 GPA for required Medical Assistant general education courses
- Must be eligible for placement in English 101 and Math 116
- Must be in good standing with the College
- Must meet the essential functions required for medical assistants
- Pass a criminal background check and drug test upon program admission
- Submit a completed health questionnaire and immunization records
- Have proof of insurance
The online application and more information about the program can be found at www.GadsdenState.edu/Medical.