In spring 2022, Vanderbilt Medical Group (VMG) and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt clinics were expanding to meet the needs of Middle Tennessee as a continuing pandemic increased strain on the clinics. In response, VUMC’s Programs in Allied Health launched a new Medical Assistant Trainee Program to increase the number of certified medical assistants.
The scope of practice for medical assistants was also expanded that year by the Tennessee state legislature. Medical assistants provide essential clinical support such as taking vital signs, reviewing medications, administering routine single-dose vaccinations, monitoring glucose and scheduling appointments.
The MA Trainee Program, formed in partnership with Nashville State Community College (NSCC), has been extraordinarily successful in training MAs and filling MA vacancies at pediatric and adult clinics throughout the Vanderbilt Health system, including Regional Hospitals and clinics within a 100-mile radius of the Main Campus.
The program has delivered a remarkable retention rate hovering between 88% to 92%, and more than 160 positions have been filled with MA Trainee Program graduates since the program began.
Because of the program’s continued success, the Staffing Operations MA Trainee Program team was awarded the Elevate Team Award during the Fall VUMC Leadership Forum. The award recognizes combined efforts that “made a change, improved a process, solved a problem or advanced our (VUMC) culture.”
“The Staffing Operations leadership team partnered with Nursing Education, Allied Health and Nashville State to develop a plan to train MAs, reduce vacancies and improve retention rates,” said Staffing Operations Director Janice Gabbard, MSN, RN. “When we began, VMG clinics had over 100 empty MA positions — that was nearly a fourth of the positions. Today, our MA Trainee Program has become a model for ambulatory clinic staffing nationwide.”
The program prioritizes internal applicants for a 12-week training program that includes coursework at NSCC and a clinical preceptorship at VUMC. All MAs hired at VUMC are required to achieve National Healthcareer Association certification. MA Trainee Program Director LaQuana Pollard, MBA, ensures students are prepared for their certification tests, and the trainees have a 100% pass rate.
MAs who’ve completed the program include former VUMC Environmental Services and Nutrition Services employees, and even a truck driver. MA trainees retain their status as full-time employees, receiving compensation and benefits as well as full coverage of tuition and program fees.
“It’s rare to get less than 70 applications for each cohort, and right now, we’re only accepting five to 10 students for each cohort,” Gabbard said. “That’s because we guarantee graduates a job, and we just don’t have empty positions.
“We get people who have been here for years and years and years. They love Vanderbilt, and it’s where they want to stay. This gives them an opportunity to do direct patient care, earn a good hourly wage, and receive full benefits. It’s a big deal.”
To further support retention and employee satisfaction, the team hosts an MA Trainee Match Day where clinic leaders can interview the MA students in person or virtually.
“It is great to work with a team that considers what is best for the individual and the clinic,” said Murecka Wallace, MSN, RN, clinical manager for the Outpatient Neuroscience Patient Care Center. “The leadership team of the MA Trainee Program has done an exceptional job of thinking of our medical assistant needs. The team will reach out to managers and work with them to place students in areas they feel the students will excel for the benefit of the patients and organization.”
The partnership with NSCC and the support of John Cunningham, NSCC’s director of Healthcare Partnerships at the Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education, has been a huge factor in the program’s success, Gabbard said. The collaboration with Allied Health and the unwavering support of VUMC’s institutional and clinic leadership have also been invaluable.
A team of 20-25 individuals continues to meet monthly to review the program’s progress and to address any needs that might arise. Gabbard credits Vice President of Ambulatory Nursing Michele Hasselblad, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Associate Vice President of Adult Ambulatory Nursing Deonna Taylor, PhD, MSN, ACNP, Monroe Carell Chief Nursing Officer Gretchen McCullough, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, and Associate Nursing Officer of Adult Ambulatory Clinics Joanie Jeannette, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, for their support of this work from day one.
“We couldn’t have made this program the success it is without their support,” Gabbard said. “They were continually asking, ‘What do you need?’ and ‘What can we do to help?’ And they did help. We always knew they were right there if we needed them.”
Watch the Medical Assistant Trainee Program Team’s video from Leadership Forum.
If you are a VUMC employee, you can nominate a colleague for an Elevate Credo Award, C. Wright Pinson Leader Award, or Team Award. Visit the Elevate website to fill out a nomination form. Employees demonstrate credo behaviors when: they make those they serve the highest priority; respect privacy and confidentiality; communicate effectively; conduct themselves professionally; have a sense of ownership; and are committed to their colleagues. Elevate award nominations are accepted year-round. If a nomination is received after the cutoff for an award selection period, the nomination will be considered for the next period. VUMC VOICE will post stories on each of the award winners in the weeks following their announcement.
