Kaiser Permanente School in Richmond Expands Scholarships

Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences (KPSAHS) is accepting applications for its third cohort of Medical Assisting students. To encourage applicants in this fast-growing field, the school is offering a select number of scholarships for this new program. Applications are due March 1.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California currently has over 300 openings for medical assistants. Across the country, the number of medical assistant positions is expected to grow by 23 percent between 2014 and 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. To help fill the growing need to train new medical assistants, the School of Allied Health Sciences in Richmond launched a new 15-month Associate of Science Degree in Medical Assisting program last year.

KPSAHS has been training students for careers in allied health fields such as radiologic technology, diagnostic medical sonography, and nuclear medicine technology for more than 25 years. The Associate of Science degree program in medical assisting started with 20 students and has several unique features. Besides receiving an Associate of Science degree in medical assisting, graduates are eligible to sit for certification exams in basic and advanced phlebotomy and EKG. Students do their clinical training at Kaiser Permanente medical centers and will learn to use the organization’s electronic medical record software, KP HealthConnect.

"With the closure of some for-profit schools that used to provide medical assistant training, and the increased demand for medical assistants at Kaiser Permanente and throughout the health care industry, we saw the need to create this training program," said Tammy Arnold, KPSAHS medical assisting program director.

There was a surge of applications for the first group of students, and Kaiser Permanente wanted to keep encouraging people to consider this career by continuing to offer scholarships, said Arnold.

"At Kaiser Permanente, we serve a diverse population, and so we recruit diverse professionals to provide medical services. We are offering scholarships in order to provide an opportunity to someone who might not otherwise be able to consider a career in health care. We are stronger when our workforce comes from a variety of backgrounds," said Dr. Calvin Wheeler, director of medical education for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California.

Graduates of the program will be eligible to work for any doctor or medical organization, and they will be very marketable, according to KPSAHS Associate Administrator Kristina Lopez-Smith. "Our hope is that they will apply for work within Kaiser Permanente," she said.

Tuition and fees for the 15-month program will be $9,010 for the new cohort. Medical Assistants at Kaiser Permanente earn $25 - $27/hr, not including benefits. KPSAHS offers loans with forgiveness for those employed after graduation at Kaiser Permanente.

Applications are due March 1 and can be found at http://kpsahs.edu/medical-assisting. For more information about the School of Allied Health Sciences in Richmond, please visit http://kpsahs.edu/