The latest cohort of seven students who completed Great Bay Community College’s medical assistant workforce training program celebrated another milestone with a 100-percent pass rate on the
The success of the students continues the exceptional legacy of the program, which provides a steady pipeline of highly trained medical assistants to help meet the workforce demands of healthcare providers in the Seacoast region. In the past year, 33 students received their Medical Assistant Certification. In the decade since the program began, almost 400 students have received national certification.
Presented in partnership with ApprenticeshipNH, the Great Bay program fast tracks training during an intensive 12-week sprint, with eight weeks of classroom instruction totaling 320 hours is followed by four-week, 160-hour externships at local medical offices.
“The training was very extensive and covered so many areas involved in health care. The real-life patient care experience in our practicum was invaluable to our success as a medical assistant,” said Angela Collins a recent graduate of the January 2025 program cohort.
Elaine Bussey, Allied Health Program Coordinator at Great Bay, attributed the success of Great Bay students on the national exam to the quality of the training program and the instructors.
“Students are given the time and attention they need,” she said. “Our combination of a strong program that focuses on medical ethics, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, office procedures and professionalism, along with the way our instructors connect with students–whether it’s through patiently explaining a complicated concept with expertise and patience or teaching them the many clinical skills for putting their knowledge into practice–the student’s learning is always our top priority.”
The need for qualified medical assistants remains acute, Bussey said.
“The staffing challenges that all health care facilities currently face in this state in hiring a quality healthcare workforce has grown tremendously. Thus, the need for medical assistants has never been higher,” she said. “As we at Great Bay partner with our local health care partners, our goal is to meet this health care workforce need by providing this Certified Medical Assistant program. Helping to meet this need for qualified medical assistants is one way Great Bay assists people in establishing meaningful careers through targeted training that aligns with the needs of local employers.”