CSCC Expands Medical Assisting Program

Karmon Kingsley has served as the Director of CSCC’s Medical Assisting Program since 2005. Because of the success of the CSCC Medical Assisting program, the college will be adding an additional full-time faculty member for the fall of 2017 in an effort to double the enrollment to 40 students.

CSCC Expands Medical Assisting Program

Holly Vincent
Friday, February 10, 2017 11:50 AM
All, Academics, Employees

From student to adjunct to director, Karmon Kingsley, CMA (AAMA), MSAH, has served in many roles in Cleveland State’s Medical Assisting program seeing many changes along the way. She has served as the Director of the program since 2005, and since that time, the program has grown significantly—so much so that the college will be adding another full-time faculty member in an effort to double the enrollment in this highly successful health-care program.
According to Kingsley, the program has quadrupled since its inception. “Both the public and the medical community are understanding more of what medical assistants do now. I think that’s why we have had such a significant growth in the program. We are not just the people in a doctor’s office that work up front. We do administrative, as well as clinical work. We give shots. We draw blood. We do EKGs. We do laboratory tests. We do a little bit of everything.”
The additional faculty member in the program will allow the college to enroll up to 40 students for the fall of 2017—doubling the admission from the fall of 2016.
“We are very proud of the high quality of our Medical Assisting program. It prepares students for a satisfying career in providing patient care in a clinical office setting,” stated Dr. Denise King, Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Our graduates develop strong relationships with the physicians and patients they serve and typically work regular hours. We plan to add faculty in order to expand the program to more students who seek to enter the healthcare profession.”
Not only does Kingsley believe in the program and the profession, but she is a graduate of CSCC herself. “When I went through the medical assisting program here, I told the director at the time, Sylvia Taylor, that I wanted her job when she retires and I told her to let me know when that day comes.”
Taylor’s advice to Kingsley was if she was serious about teaching that she needed to get out and work in different types of medical facilities because she would have to teach a variety of topics and skills and would need that knowledge. Kingsley took Taylor’s advice and chose to work in three different specialties. She served in three different departments at the hospital, worked in insurance billing, and also served as a pharmacy tech at CVS. After being hired to teach in an adjunct role, Kingsley was hired to serve as the director, so the advice paid off.
Michael Johnson, 2016 graduate of the MA program, stated, “I can honestly say that CSCC’s program prepared me for my career. Learning in the lab allowed us to perform tests and skills hands-on. The skills that I learned in the program are skills that I use every day in my job…I spent my whole life trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Finding out about medical assisting and being a part of the MA program at CSCC was life changing for me!” According to Kingsley, medical assistants are multi-skilled health professionals specifically educated to work in ambulatory settings performing administrative and clinical duties. The CSCC Medical Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs 25400 U.S. Highway 19 North, Suite 158 Clearwater, FL 33763 727-210-2350 www.caahep.org
Students applying for admission to the program must meet the admissions requirements for the Medical Assisting program. Upon successful completion of this curriculum, students will have acquired the knowledge and skills to establish eligibility for the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA [AAMA]) exam.
For more information on the CSCC medical assisting program, contact Kingsley at (423) 614-8702 or email her at kkingsley@clevelandstatecc.edu.
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