GBCC Marks 10 Year Anniversary of Medical Assistant Program
Created to Meet Needs in the Seacoast Area
In 2015, a healthcare workforce crisis was gathering steam in New Hampshire. Hospitals and medical practices were struggling to fill positions for medical assistants and other entry-level jobs. To address this shortage, Great Bay Community College (GBCC) launched the first Medical Assistant (MA) workforce training program in New Hampshire’s community college system.
A decade later, GBCC’s MA program remains a vital conduit to provide a workforce for healthcare providers in the Seacoast region. Aside from the pandemic years, GBCC has consistently offered four MA training sessions annually, graduating 344 students with Medical Assistant Certification. Students completing the program have a 100% pass rate for the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) national examination, a rate well above the national average.
Developed in partnership with Core Physicians and Wentworth-Douglass Physician Corp, GBCC’s program fast-tracks training in an intensive 12-week sprint. Eight weeks of classroom instruction totaling 320 hours is followed by 160-hour externships at local medical offices. “Local employers needed trained medical assistants right away. Our MA program was created in response to their need to train people quickly and the curriculum was developed in partnership with them so they would be workforce-ready,” explained Elaine Bussey, Allied Health Program Coordinator at GBCC.
Today, GBCC partners with more than 20 area medical practices to provide externships. Appledore Medical Group is a long-time collaborator with GBCC and relies upon the training for what they see as a ‘valuable pipeline of educated and knowledgeable medical assistants.’
“Students who complete the GBCC MA program have a solid foundation in both medical knowledge and hands-on experience, preparing them to meet the demands of a busy medical practice,” said Melissa Mabey, CMPE, Director of Physician Services at Appledore. “This relationship has not only helped us meet staffing needs, but it has also established a solid relationship with GBCC, allowing us to contribute to the development of the next generation of healthcare professionals. We look forward to continuing this successful partnership and supporting the growth of medical assistants in our community.”
Students who complete the MA program often field multiple job offers. New Hampshire continues to have a shortage of trained medical assistants, and the job outlook is expected to remain strong. Projections from New Hampshire Employment Security indicate that healthcare and social assistance will continue to be the fastest growing employment sector in the state to 2032, driven by an aging population.
GBCC has responded to community needs with a suite of healthcare programs. In addition to the MA program, the college now offers a Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) and a new Phlebotomy training program. The Phlebotomy program filled its first class and has opened applications to its next session beginning April 2025.
In 2024, GBCC sponsored a new U.S. Department of Labor, Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) supported by ApprenticeshipNH as another means of providing support for employers to fill the workforce shortage. GBCC assumes the administrative responsibilities of managing the RAP, opening the apprenticeship option to smaller employers with limited staff capacity. Through the apprenticeship, participants receive the MA core training, plus one and a half to two years of paid on-the-job training with the participating employer.
“We are proud of our long history collaborating with healthcare employers to build the workforce our communities need. Over the past 10 years, our program has built a reputation for quality. Employers hire our graduates because they know the strength of our program,” commented Dr. Cheryl Lesser, GBCC president.
The MA certificate program that GBCC piloted in 2015 is now offered at other CCSNH colleges. It has become an essential means of addressing the long-term workforce shortages faced by New Hampshire’s healthcare employers.
