Building a Legacy: Medical Assisting Graduate, Leslie Ruiz
At Central Coast College, we are so proud of our graduates. Our students are motivated and passionate, and they work hard in their programs to achieve their goals and graduate. Each CCC student is on their own Path to Purpose, and it is our mission to support them as they work towards graduation, and beyond, as they enter the workforce and pursue their passions. In this installment of Building a Legacy, we highlight CCC Medical Assisting graduate Leslie Ruiz.
At Central Coast College, the Medical Assistant program provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter this rewarding career path. Learning from dedicated, experienced instructors, students in CCC’s Medical Assistant program learn to perform both clinical and administrative tasks, including front office management, patient intake and preparing patients for procedures, measuring patients’ vital signs, administering medications and injections, and using the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system. Training modules teach medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology; diagnostic and treatment procedures, as well as medical office procedures and insurance billing. In addition to hands-on practice in supervised labs, students also receive real-world, on-the-job experience through an externship.
Every student at Central Coast College completes a Capstone project, highlighting their externship experience, as a part of their program of study. Leslie Ruiz, recent graduate of CCC’s Medical Assistant program, wrote in her Capstone project about her externship at SVMC Orthopedics, Podiatry, and Sports Injury, located in Salinas. At SVMC, a specialty clinic, Leslie says she saw many interesting cases and had the opportunity to work under several specialty doctors. In her Capstone project, Leslie writes about the opportunities to put into practice the skills she had learned in the classroom at CCC during her time at SVMC. Leslie says she was able to clean and prepare patient rooms, and she learned how to remove a cast, which she says was her favorite task she learned. Leslie writes, “At first, I was very nervous, more than the patient I would say, but I self-talked myself and put my nervousness aside and I was able to overcome that fear.”
Leslie also had the opportunity to practice using an electronic medical records system. At SVMC, the EPIC system is used, and Leslie familiarized herself with how to use the system to access patient information. “This system is very helpful because it allows things to run smoothly at the clinic, especially when communicating with each other,” Leslie wrote. “We would be able to see when a patient had arrived, and the patient location always, for example if the patient was at X-rays and what room number they were at.”
Leslie writes in her Capstone project that her externship at SVMC Orthopedics, Podiatry, and Sports Injury allowed her to put into practice the practical skills she had learned at CCC, as well as cultivate her communication and interpersonal skills. Overall, she found the externship to be incredibly valuable. Leslie writes, “Over the course of this program, I have learned a lot of valuable skills, some of them being, communication skills, professional, ethical, critical thinking and problem solving. I consider these skills valuable because regardless of where I go or what job I get or even if I decide to pursue a degree, these skills will be with me throughout my life.”
At Central Coast College, the Medical Assistant diploma program can be completed in as few as 46 weeks! Graduates of the program complete the required courses, including the externship course and the Capstone project, and receive a Certificate of Completion, Medical Assistant diploma. Upon completion of the program, graduates are prepared to test for a nationally-recognized MA certification. CCC graduates enter the workforce prepared for entry-level positions as a Medical Assistant, Medical Records and Health Information Technician, Medical Secretary, or Reception and Information Clerk.
With CCC’s Medical Assisting program, you can pursue your healthcare career goal, just like Leslie. Central Coast College, located in Salinas, California, is here to train people just like you for rewarding healthcare careers. With CCC, you can train for your career as a medical assistant in less than a year! Pursue your Path to Purpose, and build your own legacy, with Central Coast College. Contact Central Coast College today!
Pursue your Medical Assisting Career, with Central Coast College!