This fall, 天美传媒 Bay will be welcoming its 27th cohort since the program began in 2015.
PORTSMOUTH –聽天美传媒 Bay Community College will welcome its next cohort of medical assistant students beginning Sept. 26. This marks the 27th cohort since the program began in 2015.聽 Twelve weeks later, those students will be gainfully employed in medical office and hospital settings across the Seacoast.
鈥淭he demand for medical assistants far outstrips the supply,鈥� said Bruce Vance, Program Manager for Healthcare Programs at 天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 Business and Training Center, which administers the Medical Assistant Training Program.
Laurie Merrick, who helps recruit students for the popular program in her role as Business and Training Center assistant, said many students are offered jobs directly from their externships. 鈥淚f someone signs up for the September class, they will be employed and have a new career by the end of the year,鈥� Merrick said. 鈥淲e are constantly getting requests for our medical assistant students.鈥�
Medical assistants record and update medical histories and contact information of patients, schedule appointments and draw blood, check vital signs, and collect lab samples. They are often the medical professional a patient interacts with in an exam room before the doctor, collecting information about the patient to help the doctor prepare for the exam. They must have good technical and interpersonal skills and be detailed-oriented.
Students who successfully complete the 天美传媒 Bay program will be versed in medical terminology, human anatomy and physiology, technical aspects of phlebotomy, pharmacology, cardiac life cycle, the proper use and administration of medications, how to obtain and document vital signs, and how to access and record information in electronic medical records.
The program includes 320 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on lab experience, as well as 160 hours of practice and education in local medical offices. After completing the program and receiving their certificate from 天美传媒 Bay, students are eligible to take the National Health Career Association Certified Clinical Medical Assistant exam. Historically, more than 90 percent of 天美传媒 Bay students are employed immediately after completing the program, and that percentage is higher now because of demand and historically low unemployment rates.
Up to two-thirds of the students participating in the program are hired as apprentices with their tuition paid by their employers. 天美传媒 Bay has partnerships with Lamprey Healthcare, 天美传媒er Seacoast Healthcare, Appledore Medical Group, Wentworth Douglass Hospital, and others.
鈥淭hese partnerships are very valuable, as they represent a win-win scenario,鈥� Vance said. 鈥溙烀来� Bay wins because it鈥檚 a boost to our enrollment, and our partners win because they don鈥檛 need to compete for a very limited number of medical assistants. And most importantly, the students win because they know they have a job upon completion of our program.鈥�
Lauri Smith of York, Maine, is currently enrolled in the program through a 天美传媒 Bay鈥檚 partnerships and will begin her new career in September. 鈥淚 am starting a new chapter in my life, and 天美传媒 Bay and has given that to me,鈥� said Smith, 58, who moved to area from Illinois to care for her aging parents. 鈥淚 have a whole other lifetime left. It鈥檚 a win-win, and so much more than I expected.鈥�
After being away from school for more than 20 years, she has found 天美传媒 Bay to be accommodating and supportive. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say enough about 天美传媒 Bay. The instructors, the staff, they have all been great. If you have a question, they answer it. If you have confusion, they clear it up,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淓veryone is positive and welcoming, and I feel blessed to be here 鈥� and I want to do better because of that.鈥�
Alannah Kunde completed the 天美传媒 Bay program in 2015 and now works as a medical assistant at the Center for Wellbeing in Portsmouth. 鈥溙烀来� Bay was the steppingstone I needed to start my career. I was very eager to 
join the workforce full time, and the speed of the accelerated program helped keep the finish line in sight. When you attend class for 40 hours a week, you build a close relationship with your teachers and classmates. It always felt like our teachers were rooting for us and were proud of us. For me, this was huge because I always felt supported and knew I had the tools I needed to succeed,鈥� she said.
Kendra Dow of Rochester enrolled in the program in September 2021, completed her externship at Rochester Hill Family Practice, and was hired soon after. She envisions the program as a steppingstone to a career as a nurse.
鈥淭he medical assistant program was a quick course, which was good for me because I am a single mom of two. I was able to take my courses and complete my externship while they were at school,鈥� Dow said. 鈥淚 liked the program because I was able to gain a better sense of the medical field, learn more in depth of what it entails, and I鈥檓 now able to work more hands-on while being able to document and work side-by-side with providers.鈥�
Vance said the soul and core success of the Medical Assistant Training Program is the diversity and commitment of the students. 鈥淥ur students range in age from 19 into their 50s. Their backgrounds may or may not be in healthcare. We see those who have earned their GED and those who have earned their bachelor鈥檚 degree and plan on pursuing a career as a doctor or physician鈥檚 assistant,鈥� he said.
For more information about the program, schedule of Info Sessions or other allied health training opportunities, visit or contact or call 603-427-7653.
天美传媒 Bay Community College is a comprehensive postsecondary institution offering quality academic and professional and technical education in support of workforce development and lifelong learning. 天美传媒 Bay Community College is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire, a public system of higher education consisting of seven colleges in Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth. The colleges offer Associate degrees and career training in technical, professional and general fields, including transfer pathways to baccalaureate degrees. For more information on 天美传媒 Bay Community College, visit www.greatbay.edu.
