New Program Trains Immigrant New Yorkers As Bilingual Medical Assistants, Helps Area Hospitals Better Serve Diverse Patient Populations
Program supports new career opportunities and allows patients to receive care in their native languages
LaGuardia Community College/CUNY (“LaGuardia”) and the NYC Department of Small Business Services (“SBS”) today announced that 41 participants have graduated from the first class of a new Bilingual Medical Assistant Training Program, which provides immigrant New Yorkers with a path to a new career. The program trains English language learners to use their native language skills and cultural knowledge to ease communication between health care providers and patients. In addition to learning how to administer blood draws, EKGs, and other essential tasks of a medical assistant, participants learn the core competencies needed to serve as a member of a clinical team providing patient-centered care, a model of personalized, coordinated care that’s emphasized under today’s health care system….