CONTRIBUTIONS FOR CAREGIVER ADVANCEMENT M edical Assistants (MAs) play a critical role in our clinics, settling patients into exam rooms and completing preliminary work like blood
Darius Kaulius, manager of the Kirkland and Redmond clinics, echoes the thought. “They’re doing a year of hands-on training compared with others who do a school program and an externship. Our people are so much more skilled and ready for the job.” Donor support this year has helped ensure we can recruit and retain MAs through the apprenticeship program. Overlake receives top marks from patients on their experiences in our clinics. Our skilled and compassionate MAs are a big reason why. Above, from left: Andrea Turner, Director, Overlake Clinics (OC) Primary and Urgent Care; Ana Hernandez, MA Apprentice; Valerie Chrusciel, OC Chief Operating Officer; Hetal Patel, MA; Darius Kaulius, OC Manager; Kelan Koenig, MD, OC Chief Physician Executive.
pressure checks and updating charts so physicians can work more efficiently. With the help of our generous donors, Overlake offers an apprenticeship program to train new MAs on the job and get them fast-tracked on a meaningful and rewarding career. Apprentices stay in the program for 12 months, receiving 2,000 hours of hands-on training plus 10 hours per week of online classroom work, while Overlake pays their tuition. Apprentices are paid while training. They begin with one-to-one supervision from an experienced MA and progress to increasingly independent and complex work. When they complete their studies and pass a certification exam, they begin work as certified MAs. Denise Harker started as an apprentice when the program began seven years ago. She has since worked her way up to become a clinic coordinator and lead MA trainer at our Kirkland primary care clinic. “The greatest benefit of the program is that we get stocked with great MAs,” she says.
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