MEDICAL ASSISTANT ACCELERATED
PATHWAY TO EMPLOYMENT
About MAAPET
A documented shortage of medical assistants (MAs) has had significant impact on the delivery of ambulatory patient care services for individuals, and creates substantial levels of overtime and a work burden on other members of the medical team. To meet this critical health care workforce need, support an economically disadvantaged workforce, and significantly improve the equitable delivery of health care services across impacted communities in southeast Wisconsin, a new approach is needed.
The Center for Healthcare Careers of SE Wisconsin along with, Employ Milwaukee, Children's Wisconsin, Froedtert Health, Aurora Health Care, Ascension Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin has developed an accelerated medical assistant on-the job training program. This tuition free, on-the-job training program, called MAAPET (Medical Assistant Accelerated Pathway to Employment Training) provides immediate engagement to wages and strives to create a diverse talent pool of medical assistants working in ambulatory clinics across southeast Wisconsin.
This program is now funded in whole or in part by the Department of Labor Nursing Expansion Grant.
MAAPET candidate qualifications
EDUCATION/Qualifications
-
Must be 18 by start of program
-
Highschool diploma / GED
-
Qualifying TABE score . - TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) is essentially a placement test. All candidates interested in being considered for the program must take and pass the test with qualifying score in reading & math. Candidates are strongly encouraged to study and/or take a practice test before applying for the program. For more information and FREE study resources for TABE click here.
-
All trainees must comply with the individual hiring requirements as set forth by their employers. This may include but is not limited to completing the appropriate health assessments, drug tests, pre-employment physicals and criminal background checks.
QUALITIES
-
Strong customer service skills - one year of customer service experience preferred or internships, participation in high school healthcare career programs, prior entry level healthcare work such as CNA.
-
Basic computer/keyboarding skills - in addition to providing direct patient care, MAs also perform clerical tasks such as updating, creating and editing electronic health records (EHR). In addition, some MAs may be required to process payment/insurance information.
-
Compassion - MAs work both in the front office and in the back office, it’s important to be compassionate toward patients to put them at ease. Great medical assistants are empathetic to a patient’s needs in order to create a positive experience.
-
Track record of dependability - Medical assistant must be dedicated toward being dependable and detail oriented in all aspects of the job. When working with patients medical assistants are responsible for collecting everything from the patient—from medical history to blood work and they must ensure every detail is accurate and confidential.
-
Adaptable - MAs will have a variety of patients and every day is going to be different from the last. They must be able to multi-task and keep a level head when the office gets hectic. A MA's responsibilities may fluctuate and they may be needed for blood draws and lab work, taking vital signs and performing non-invasive procedures, or general patient care. A good medical assistant should be able to easily move from one role to the next.
-
Problem solver - While one benefit of the medical field is being surrounded by other medical professionals, it is important to be able to react independently when problems arise and to solve these problems quickly and efficiently.
MAAPET
Are you ready to enter an exciting career as a Medical Assistant?
Please note that MAAPET is an on-the-job training initiative. Individuals interested in joining the program undergo an employment screening process. If selected, they are hired by one of our four healthcare system partners to participate in MAAPET training and subsequently become employees of the respective health care system.
It's important to emphasize that MAAPET is a tuition-free program. In addition trainees receive compensation and benefits while attending training sessions for 40 hours per week over a duration of 14 weeks. Upon successful completion of the MAAPET program and passing the certification test, you will begin on your career as a medical assistant.
Please be aware that if you are not seeking employment, MAAPET may not be the right program for you. As you can tell, the MAAPET program an amazing opportunity and our health system employers invest significantly in this program. For this reason, we hold trainees that are selected to participate in this program to high standards; we expect exemplary attendance, active program participation, the completion of all coursework/homework, and the professionalism from our trainees.
MAAPET RECRUITMENT AND APPLICATION PROCESS
Step 1: Interested individuals should complete the pre-employment questionnaire, attach your resume and complete the grant screening application.
Step 2: Application materials will be reviewed by Center for Healthcare Careers staff for grant eligibility. Eligible individuals will be contacted via the email which was provided during application process to schedule a TABE test. (Please refer to links under candidate qualifications for study tools.)
Step 3: Candidates who successfully complete the TABE test with a score that reflects at least a 6th grade level in reading and in math will be invited to meet with CHC staff for an eligibility intake appointment and to discuss their employment and training goals.
Step 4: Eligible candidates will be referred to the two healthcare systems they selected during the application process for consideration.
Step 5: Healthcare systems will then determine those individuals they wish to move forward in the interview process.
This project receives funding from the Department of Labor Nursing Expansion Grant. To join this program, you must meet grant eligibility requirements. Please be aware that if you progress in the application process, you'll need to provide documentation for the information you provide on the eligibility application.
