Bend, Ore.-based St. Charles Health System plans to cover tuition for 30 individuals interested in becoming certified medical assistants over the next year as it works to address staffing shortages across its outpatient clinics.
St. Charles will cover the full cost of the MA certification program at Central Oregon Community College for accepted applicants and provide a stipend to help cover living expenses during training. Participants must commit to working at St. Charles for at least two years upon graduation.
Medical assistants are the most in-demand position within St. Charles, with about 50 current vacancies, leaders said in a Feb. 18 news release. The system employs 250 medical assistants, nearly all of whom work in outpatient settings, and expects to hire up to 70 over the next year.
“We are excited to offer this new funding in hopes of getting more people interested in becoming medical assistants, which is an engaging but often overlooked healthcare job,” Jennifer Brooks, RN, chief nursing officer for ambulatory care at St. Charles, said in the release.
The program will fund 10 students in an accelerated six-month medical assistant track beginning in June and an additional 20 students in a traditional nine-month program starting in September.
