{"id":208889,"date":"2025-01-08T09:48:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T19:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=208889"},"modified":"2025-01-08T09:52:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T19:52:50","slug":"molokai-students-earn-medical-assistant-certifications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/08\/molokai-students-earn-medical-assistant-certifications\/","title":{"rendered":"Moloka\u02bbi students earn medical assistant certifications"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"group
From left, Olelo Schonely Spencer, CTE program coordinator, Cindy Ledesma, Teri-Lee Phifer, Alisha Gramberg, John Allan Arista, Tanya Kamakeeaina, Piikea Hanaoka, Kapua Kehano, Misty Kahale, Mililani Rawlins and Kelley Dudoit, Molokaʻi<\/span> coordinator.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nine University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Maui College Molokaʻi<\/span>-based students earned certified clinical medical assistant (CCMA<\/abbr>) certifications, marking a significant milestone in local healthcare workforce development. This achievement was made possible through free training provided by Good Jobs Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, a statewide partnership of University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Community Colleges, employers and organizations committed to creating quality job opportunities for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> residents.<\/p>\n

\"group<\/a>
From left, Justin Smith, manager, Paul G. Stevens, M.D. Outpatient Clinic, Molokai General Hospital, Cindy Ledesma, Teri-Lee Phifer, Alisha Gramberg, Mililani Rawlins, John Allan Arista<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Good Jobs Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> supported participants by covering tuition, fees, books, online classes and exam fees. Onsite training was made possible through partnerships with Nā Puʻuwai<\/span> (the Native Hawaiian Health Care System that serves the islands of Molokaʻi<\/span> and Lānaʻi<\/span>) and Molokai General Hospital, the only hospital on the Island of Molokaʻi<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Medical assistants play a vital role in healthcare—supporting physicians by preparing exam rooms, administering vaccines, collecting lab samples and more. The students also trained in EKG, phlebotomy and injections. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assisting is among the fastest growing professions, reflecting a national increase in healthcare needs.<\/p>\n

Clinical training<\/h2>\n
\"group<\/a>
From left, Tanya Kamakeeaina, Misty Kahale, Piikea Hanaoka, Kapua Kehano and Landon Opunui, executive director and medical director,\u00a0Nā Puʻuwai<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cohort included four students who are employees of Nā Puʻuwai<\/span>—Piikea Hanaoka, Misty Kahale, Tanya Kamakeaiana and Kapua Kehano—and five students who are employees of Molokai General Hospital—John Allan Arista, Alisha Gramberg, Cindy Ledesma, Teri-Lee Phifer and Mililani Rawlins.<\/p>\n

Participants engaged in weekly online lectures led by a UH<\/abbr> Maui College professor while completing in-person clinical training at their job sites. This dual approach provided comprehensive education tailored to address the critical need for certified medical assistants in primary care facilities on Molokaʻi<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“This partnership has significantly enhanced the quality of care at our rural health clinic,” said MGH<\/abbr> Director of Outpatient & Business Services Punahele Alcon. “Education investments like this improve safety, efficiency and professionalism, while strengthening our community\u2019s healthcare capacity.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free medical assistant training helps Molokaʻi<\/span> students with certification.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1614,1284,71,60,603],"class_list":["post-208889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-good-jobs-hawaii","tag-medical-assisting-program","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-maui-college","tag-workforce-development","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208889"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208891,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208889\/revisions\/208891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}