Cox College to add medical assistant program

Plans call for enrollment of 20 students in the program’s inaugural class, according to a CoxHealth news release. The medical assistant program was approved by the Cox College Board of Trustees in January, and it will prepare students for employment in doctors’ offices, clinics and other health care settings.

The two-year program will include general education, science, health science, medical assistant lab and clinical courses, and graduates will be eligible to take the certification exam.

“The medical assistant program is a nice fit with our other programs at Cox College and provides general education students with another degree option,” Cox College President Anne Liners Brett said in the release.

Data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center showed 670 medical assistants in Missouri in 2002 and cited a need for 1,150 by 2012, the release said. That translates into an estimated average of 61 job openings every year for the next decade.

“There is certainly a need for medical assistants within CoxHealth and across southwest Missouri, making this an excellent opportunity for students looking for a career in health care,” Brett said.