Photo: Recently certified medical assistant student Crystal Crane, fine tunes her blood pressure monitoring on a volunteer patient in the medical assistant lab at New Hampshire Community College-Berlin. Crane is working on earning her certificate in the medical assistant program at NHCTC, but was able to sit for the certification exam because of prior credits she earned while serving as a US Navy Corpsman. This earns her distinction as the first certified M.A. to come out of the College's relatively new program.
When Crystal Crane moved to New Hampshire's North Country, she was doing so to be with her family. Her mother had recently relocated to New Hampshire and Crystal wanted to follow suit. She never thought the move would also put her on the career path she had recently chosen. A New Jersey native, Crane spent four years with the United States Navy as a corpsman, the equivalent of a civilian medical assistant. After working with military patients, Crane knew this was a career she wanted to continue. "I have always been interested in some aspect of the medical field and through the Navy, I was able to find my nitch. I came to realize I love being with patients," says Crane. "People, the body, diseases and science are all interesting to me. Continuing in the field of medical assistant just feels right."
When Crane moved to northern New Hampshire, she had no idea if or when she would be able to pursue her dream career. But then she heard about the medical assistant program at CCSNH-Berlin and began her research. "The program looked like a great fit for me. But I wanted to know if and how my education through the navy would transfer into the program at the college," says Crane. The college staff helped her determine that 23 credits earned in the navy would transfer into the program leaving her with a lighter load to complete the certificate program. So Crane enrolled and is focusing on the administrative competencies required of the program. She will complete the program in the spring of 2008.
At the same time, she also began researching whether her previous education through the Navy would make her eligible to sit for the medical assistant certification exam. Crane had two options to pursue and discovered that the American Medical Technologists (AMT) Certification Examination would count her Navy credits and allow her to sit early for the certification exam. Crane admits, "I was very apprehensive about taking the exam because it is an interactive computer exam. There were also high levels of security involved before and during the exam which added to the stress." She took the exam and passed with flying colors.
Earning her certification has opened another door she was not anticipating. Crane is currently student teaching with faculty in the medical assistant program. Next fall she will be ready to teach on her own and will instruct students in the lab procedures course as well as the lab component of the clinical class. "I am really excited to be working with the students in such a rewarding way. The goal of the college was to hire certified medical assistants to teach some of the courses, and I'm pleased to be able to help the college reach that goal," says Crane.
According to Crane, the medical assistant program at CCSNH-Berlin is awesome. "The program is absolutely true to life. It's half clinical, half administrative, exactly what graduates will find in the profession. Everything done here is exactly true to form in the real world. Students learn administrative competencies to perform clerical functions, bookkeeping procedures and process insurance claims. Students have lots of hands-on practice including interviewing patients, taking vital signs, performing capillary puncture and venipuncture. We also learn about regulations regarding patient privacy." Crane says the professors are what make the program so good. "Professors Lynn Davis and Rand McNally are superb! They are always there for the students. They don't just put in their class time and disappear. If someone is having difficulty with some aspect of the material, the professors will work with the student until the confusion has been cleared up. They are always available."
Crane says the students she is sharing classroom time with are wonderful. "They are a very energized group, anxious to learn all that they can. They have a real interest in the field. They are determined and goal-oriented." Crane notes these are characteristics that will serve the students well once they are working in the medical assistant field. Crane says other desirable qualities for those pursuing a medical assistant career would be individuals with people skills, the ability to memorize lots of things, a desire to work with sick people, and patience.
The medical assistant field is a great career path, says Crane. Graduates with these skills can work in lab settings, a physician's office, hospital ward, front desk and admitting. Completion of the program will open a lot of opportunities. According to Crane, certification is not required for all jobs, but certainly gives you an edge over applicants who have not been certified. Once Crane completes the program at CCSNH-Berlin, she plans to work as a medical assistant for a few years. Her goal is to continue her education and eventually become a physician's assistant.
The medical assistant program got underway at CCSNH-Berlin in May 2005. A nursing shortage in the North Country has caused health care facilities to turn to medical assistants to provide patient services. There were no local training opportunities and the college was looking at ways to expand their allied health offerings. It was a win-win situation.
The next class of medical assistants will be entering this fall. Individuals seeking information about or an application for the medical assistant certificate program are encouraged to contact the CCSNH-Berlin Admissions Office at (603) 752-1113 or 800-445-4525. The program will begin September 4 and is financial aid eligible.
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