Southwestern Colorado Area Health Education Center (SWCAHEC) and the Colorado Department of Labor completed the necessary steps and signed the formal sponsorship documents for the registered Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Training Program, the first of its kind in SW Colorado. The program addresses the shortages of qualified and certified medical assistants (MA’s) in the region and aims to fill the gap.

“Our goal is to improve the quality of and access to healthcare services in the region, so if you’re a healthcare employer interested in hiring MA’s in one of the 8 counties served by SWCAHEC, we invite you to sign-up.” said Kathleen McInnis Executive Director of SWCAHEC.

Through the MA Registered Apprenticeship Program, apprentices will receive at least one year of on-the-job training plus 150 hours of online learning with a journey-worker (preceptor) for a competency-based program. Apprentices become employees of the clinical practice and wage progressions are tied to skills attainment. Once the apprentice completes the program, s/he will be eligible to sit for a national certification exam.

McInnis added, “Developing and nurturing a program like this is truly in line with our organization’s mission of helping to fill the gaps that affect the health of the community. We are thrilled to be on the ground floor of such an innovative program.”

For details on the program, contact Russelyn Connor at 970-426-4285 or [email protected]. Employers may apply at any time.