Northwell, Nassau Community College training medical assistants

Those aspiring to careers in health care don't need to decide whether to go back to school or get a job.

In a new one-year program created by Northwell Health and Nassau Community College, students can earn scholarships and work while they train for jobs as medical assistants in outpatient facilities. 

The Earn & Learn Medical Assistant Program includes funding from Northwell and Nassau Community College to earn a medical assistant certificate at the college while working at the health system.

The New Hyde Park-based health system will pay tuition and fees of about $10,000 per person, and the Nassau Community College Foundation will cover book expenses during the program’s first year, which starts in January.

Medical assistants perform patient care under the direct supervision of a physician or nurse. The full-time salary ranges from about $34,800 to $51,950, Northwell said.

Across New York state, medical assistants earned an average hourly wage of $20.24, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The number of medical assistant jobs nationwide is expected to increase by 16% by 2031, much faster than the 5% rate for all occupations, the bureau reported.

The program is open to eligible Northwell employees and other candidates. Students will work as medical associates at Northwell four days a week. They will take classes on Fridays, two evenings per week and Saturdays. The program also provides study sessions, mentors, team building and clinical placement upon graduation. Those who complete the program successfully will be promoted to a certified medical assistant position and commit to working at Northwell in the role for at least one year, Northwell said.

“Medical assistants are key members of the health care team in physician practices and other outpatient medical facilities — they are often the first clinical staff member patients encounter,” Kathleen Donovan, Northwell’s regional human resource officer in ambulatory services, said in a statement.

Coursework includes administrative and clinical documentation, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, CPR and basic life-support training and medical coding.

Nassau Community College “is happy to match the critical needs of our medical partners with the educational aspirations of people in our communities,” Maria Conzatti, interim president of the college, said in a statement.

Samara Robb, 30, joined Northwell’s staff as a medical assistant in 2016, and she now works as an associate patient account representative at the system while she earns a bachelor’s degree in health care administration leadership at Capella University. Her long-term goal is to become a director overseeing multiple practices at Northwell, she said.

“I'm so grateful that I made that decision to take that path,” the Elmont resident said. “If you're interested in the health care field and you are unsure of what direction you would like to go, I see [working as a] medical assistant as a stepping stone … so that you can see the different paths that health care has to offer.”

For more information, visit http://northwell-health-earn-and-learn-medical-assistant-program.ttcportals.com/.

By Maura McDermott

maura.mcdermott@newsday.commauramcdermott

Maura McDermott covers health care and other business news on Long Island.