New South Boston program trains clinical medical assistants 

Pretty much as soon as she heard about it, Ravin Townes enrolled in the new certified clinical medical assistant training program, which launched in March through a collaboration between Danville Community College and South Boston’s Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC).

Currently employed as a certified nursing assistant, Townes, 30, wants to move into a new health care role. As a CNA, Townes provides daily care to dementia patients in a long-term care facility. If she completes the program in August and becomes a certified clinical medical assistant, Townes hopes to work in obstetrics or pediatrics.

The median annual wage for a medical assistant in 2023 was $42,000, while the median annual wage for a nursing assistant was $38,130, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The program equips graduates for professional roles in medical offices, clinics and urgent care centers.

“It’s ideal for somebody who wants to learn all aspects of the medical field,” says Kimberly Throckmorton, manager of SVHEC’s Center for Nursing Excellence.

Through the program, students learn to perform administrative and clinical duties — things like registering patients, filing insurance, taking vitals and performing EKGs. Students sharpen their skills in a high-tech simulation lab containing 13 lifelike robotic mannequins.

Students receive 240 hours of instruction over 24 weeks. For the program’s inaugural semester, 14 students are enrolled, which is the program’s capacity, according to Throckmorton.

Tuition for the program is $3,267. Most students receive financial aid, paying no out-of-pocket costs, says Chadrick Younger, director of workforce services at Danville Community College.

Students who complete the classroom curriculum must take the National Healthcareer Association certification exam to become certified clinical medical assistants, or CCMAs.

There is increasing demand for medical assistants, a classification that includes CCMAs and similar positions, says Todd Oldham, director of research at the Virginia Office of Education Economics. By 2029, the demand is projected to increase by around 40 jobs, or 8%, in GO Virginia’s Region 3, which includes South Boston and Danville.

“If [workers] can get upskilled or gain some type of training that will keep them here, that’s a positive for us,” says Terra Napier, executive director of Virginia Career Works’ South Central Workforce Development Board, which helps coordinate federally funded workforce training and career services in the region.