YORK, Pa. — UPMC, The UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, and Central Penn College are working together to help area residents pursue careers as medical assistants.
“I think this partnership with UPMC is a great first step to meeting the unprecedented needs and shortages of allied health professionals in Central Pennsylvania," said Michael Fedor, the vice president of advancement and strategic initiatives at Central Penn College.
As part of this initiative, Central Penn College will offer a new 12-month, 30-credit, medical assisting diploma program that requires students to attend full-time, in-person classes.
“Medical assistance is a great entry-level for someone that wants to get into the medical field and we think that by stimulating the enrollment with folks in our community, we can actually grow the pipeline faster," said Lou Baverso, the president of UPMC.
Under the partnership, medical assistant students who successfully complete the program and are hired by UPMC will receive payments equivalent to the full cost of the program.
“This gives someone who is completing this program the opportunity to be potentially debt free from this program within 5 years of completing it. That’s really exciting in trying to make college more affordable," said Fedor.
The school says they are looking to fill 10 slots. The deadline to apply for the program is Dec. 23. The program begins in January.
“It's important that we not only build for now, but we build for the future," said Baverso.
For those interested in applying to the program, click the link here.