School of medical assisting opens in Cameron Park

New program designed to boost employment opportunities while fulfilling a need for medical assistants within our community.

CAMERON PARK, CA (January 11, 2024) – Representatives from the El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) and Marshall celebrated the opening of the new School of Medical Assisting with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. The event, attended by elected officials and leaders from numerous community organizations, took place at the new school’s facility, located on Marshall’s Cameron Park campus.

Medical Assistants are core members of the patient care team, ensuring that patients have what they need before, during and after medical appointments. They partner closely with medical providers and develop trusted relationships with patients. Following the pandemic, hiring for these positions has been a challenge across the healthcare industry.

The new School of Medical Assisting will train highly skilled Medical Assistants who will go on to improve the overall healthcare provided to community members in El Dorado and surrounding counties, while creating life-changing career pathways for both employees and employers in the area. Training healthcare workers is a priority for El Dorado County and according to the US Bureau of Labor, an estimated 104,400 openings for medical assistants are projected each year, on average, between 2020 and 2030.

“Creating a program of this kind has been a dream of mine, “ says Jonathan Russell, Marshall’s Chief Ambulatory Officer. “I contacted Dr. Ed Manansala, El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools, and we were able to put the wheels in motion. We are aligned in our mission and our two organizations have partnered in the adoption and development of the program’s curriculum and have brought together our unique assets to create a remarkable program for our community.”

EDCOE is providing administrative oversight for the program and will employ the school’s full-time and part-time instructional positions while also securing critical funding and financial aid opportunities for students. Marshall, in addition to contributing a fully equipped location for the school, will provide a wide variety of valuable externship opportunities for students. Marshall’s highly trained staff members will serve as guest instructors throughout the program.

The school is open to students from any county. The closest similar programs are in Placer and Sacramento counties and can be difficult to access for El Dorado County residents. The addition of practical training opportunities located in close proximity further differentiates this program from others.

During their education, students in the Marshall School of Medical Assisting will learn about patient care, medical terminology and technology, patient records and documentation, safe handling and administration of medication, lab procedures, medical ethics, law, and much more. Ten students are enrolled in the program’s first cohort and the goal is to have two cohorts each year with 20 students in each.

“This partnership offers great opportunities for residents of El Dorado County to be trained, employed and serve in the community where they live, “says Dr. Manansala. “It will provide a pool of eligible employees for healthcare providers, helping to bridge gaps in both unemployment and provider shortages, while increasing and improving healthcare services to area residents.”

Marshall and the school’s students will learn more about each other during the clinical rotation process. It is hoped that students will consider applying for open positions within Marshall and serve the growing community’s future healthcare needs.

About Marshall

Marshall is an independent, nonprofit community healthcare provider located in the heart of the Sierra Foothills. Marshall includes Marshall Hospital, a fully accredited acute care facility with 111 beds in Placerville; several outpatient facilities in Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Placerville and Georgetown; and many community health and education programs. Marshall has over 220 licensed practitioners and over 1,400 employees providing quality healthcare services to more than 180,000 residents of El Dorado County.

Learn more at marshallmedical.org.

About the El Dorado County Office of Education

The El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) offers a variety of services to many countywide programs and 15 school districts. In doing so, the organization enriches the lives of El Dorado County students by helping close the achievement gap and meet regulatory and educational standards. EDCOE operates county-wide programs which directly support more than 3,000 students through early childcare and development, charter school programs, or special education services. Collaborative partnerships between EDCOE, government agencies, and community organizations maximize taxpayer dollars to provide additional cost-effective assistance and opportunities to students and the community. Learn more at edcoe.org