First nine students complete RMH’s new CCMA Program

On May 20, Rush Memorial Hospital held a graduation ceremony for the first cohort of the new RMH Certified Clinical Medical Assistant class offered in partnership with Ivy Tech. The 9 graduates, who are all employees of RMH, received 6 credit hours each, paid for by RMH. In return for their tuition, the graduates have committed to remaining at RMH for one year. If they choose to pursue further studies, they will be able to apply their transferable credits towards a degree in nursing or laboratory sciences as well as many other program options.

Kimberly Thurlow, Employer Consultant for Ivy Tech’s Career Coaching and Employer Connections Department, spoke at the graduation ceremony, lauding the new program and congratulating the students for their hard work and accomplishment. Brian Bane, VP of Human Resources at RMH, also spoke, explaining the importance of the program and its relevance to the future of the hospital and his vision for employee development. RMH CEO, Brad Smith, concluded the program with sincere hope that the students would be proud of their achievement and would be able to use it to help them move forward in their careers.

The classes, which were taught by Jeni Geis and Ivy Tech’s CCMA Program Chair, Rebecca Conley, were all given on the RMH campus. The newness of the partnership, the small size of the class, and the fact that all of the students were from RMH, gave the students the opportunity to become very well connected to the faculty as well as to one another. Now that they have this certification, as well as their college credits, the graduates will be able to draw blood and help with patient intake in a clinical setting.

The CCMA program was started by RMH’s Director of Training, Savanna Fox. It was one of the biggest projects that she undertook upon coming to RMH late last year, and she is very happy with the results. Together she and Brian Bane hope to bring more such opportunities to RMH, including additional CCMA classes, as well as potential classes in laboratory sciences and nursing.

The graduating class included the following students: Tabatha Barnes, Madison Fulton, Emily Herbert, Heather Johnson, Amber Lainhart, Lora Littrell, Taylor Mock, Joni Peters, and Denise Shepherdson.