Wallace State celebrating Medical Assistant Recognition Week
Wallace State Medical Assisting students and faculty met with Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail as he signed a proclamation claiming Oct. 18-22, 2021, as Medical Assisting Recognition Week. Pictured from left, seated, Molly Murray of Locust Fork, Arionna Brashear of Dora, Jaycie Barkley of Moulton, Mayor Kenneth Nail, Roslee Matlock of Hanceville, Diana Garcia of Cullman; standing, Hannah Wiley of Hartselle, Ava Akridge of Hanceville, Cynthia Sarabia of Cleveland, Aletheia Sanders of Jasper, Bailee Williams of Hartselle, Dusty Ergle of Arley, Anna Parrish of Jasper, Clinical Coordinator Lorie Strane, Vice President for Learning/Dean of Health Sciences Lisa German, Program Director Tracie Fuqua, Riley Wagar of Hanceville, Kayla Shaffer of Cullman, Bryan Fonseca of Moulton, Shonna Carranza of Oneonta, and Brianna Nabors of Bremen. Not pictured: Lilian Henderson of Quinton, Kylie Sellers of Vinemont, Omar Uriostegui or Remlap, and Kashlyn Whisenhunt of Bremen.
HANCEVILLE, Ala. —The Medical Assistant program at Wallace State Community College is celebrating National Medical Assistant Recognition Week this week.
Surrounded by students and faculty from Wallace State Community College’s Medical Assisting program, Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail has recognized Oct. 18-22, 2021, as Medical Assistant Recognition Week as he has done for a number of years.
Mayor Nail congratulated the students on entering a field that focuses on caring for others.
“It’s a very compassionate thing,” he said, to work in the medical field. “Just always remember that people are hurting, and some people are scared, so just a nice, gentle hand is so reassuring.”
“And I’m glad you chose Wallace State, because it’s the best around,” he added.
Medical assisting is an allied health profession whose practitioners function as members of the health care delivery team and perform administrative and clinical procedures. With their unique versatility, medical assistants are proving to be the allied health professional of choice for this decade and beyond. Medical assisting is one of the nation’s careers growing much faster than average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Tracie Fuqua, chair of the WSCC Medical Assisting program, said there were almost 800 medical assistant job listings in Alabama on Indeed last week and she often gets calls from area physicians seeking trained medical assistants.
Wallace State’s training includes front- and back-office skills, and limited lab and radiography skills, such as being able to perform chest and extremities x-rays.
The Medical Assisting program offers a three-semester certificate option as well as a four-semester degree option. The program accepts new students each fall, with applications accepted from March 1 to June 1 each year. There are no prerequisite classes required before applying, but applicants do need to have an ACT score of at least 17 to apply.
Medical Assistants Recognition Week is designated by the American Association of Medical Assistants® (AAMA). Medical assistants across the country will be recognized during this special week and honored on Medical Assistants Recognition Day, Oct. 20. 2021.
For more information about Wallace State’s Medical Assisting program, visit www.wallacestate.edu or call 256.352.8000.