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2014 Graduates of UVICELL’s
Clinical Medical Assistant Program.
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Eleven
students who graduated from the recent Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) program
offered by the UVI’s Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (UVICELL) Center received certification during a ceremony on
Nov. 19, 2014, in Frederiksted, St. Croix. The six-month CMA program is designed
to prepare students to perform a wide range of clinical tasks in a healthcare
setting. It was created to address high unemployment rates on St. Croix and
provide much needed skills to increase chances for employment in the healthcare
sector.
Graduates of the program are trained to
assist with the administration of medication, prepare patients for examination
and treatment, record and take vital signs, and perform routine laboratory
procedures. Graduates included: Alberta Benjamin, Shemona Cascen,
Shermin Charles, Ana Cruz, Jewelise Fahie, Mary Francois, Bernadette King,
Brenda La-Force, Sophia Lawrence-Brown, Shanice Liburd and Brizeida Rivera. Ten
of the eleven students are already nationally certified.
“Our students have worked extremely hard
to achieve this milestone,” said Ilene Garner, director of the UVICELL Center. “It
is also fitting that we are able to train and certify individuals in the
industry, especially when our healthcare system needs an infusion of trained
and talented staff to support our local healthcare facilities,” she said.
The course, taught in a blended-learning
environment, combined online learning with traditional classroom methods. Theoretical
aspects of the course were taught online with the assistance of an online
instructor. Regular group and clinical hands-on sessions with an in-class
instructor rounded out the comprehensive course, providing a rich and unique
learning experience.
For more information on the CMA program,
contact the UVICELL Center at (340) 693-1100 or visit cell.uvi.edu.
