A fresh group of Aiken Technical College graduates are headed out to start careers in the healthcare industry.
A pinning ceremony was held Sept. 9 for the 27 students, 12 medical coding students and 17 medical assistants.
“You’re entering the health profession, and the opportunities for advancement are limitless. So, I encourage you to stay on this path of learning, growing and reaching your potential,” said Brian Logan, dean of the School of Health Sciences. “This, hopefully will be the beginning of a long, successful career for you. If you’re willing to put in the sacrifice, there’s so many things that you can do.”
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Jonathan Jones, department chair of Allied Health, cautioned students this is simply the end of their formal education. They will face a lifetime of learning.
“We have given you the knowledge. We’ve taught you the skills and we’ve helped you perfect your ability to be successful in your career,” said Jones. “However, the extension of your education begins as you start going out and practicing those skills. This is where the experience comes in. I know especially with the medical assisting students some of you wanted to give up. Are you glad you didn’t?”
Lucy Peel, who graduated with her American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) certification, is glad she continued her studies.
“It took a lot of perseverance. A lot of perseverance. And I had the best instructor,” she said.
In all, 11 of the 17 medical assistant graduations have their AAMA certification.
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Program director and instructor Crystal Driesen said, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there will be an 18% to 20% increase in demand for both medical assistants and coding.
“For medical coding, they can work remotely. They can work in a medical office; they can work in a freestanding coding facility or even in a hospital setting,” she said. “For medical assisting, you’ll see these mostly in doctor’s offices, primary care, specialty and even urgent care.”
Diesen said this is a particularly meaningful graduation. Some didn’t finish high school, but they focused, got their GED, enrolled, studied and can now savor graduation.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
