Nashville State Awarded Grant to Train Medical Assistants in Montgomery, Humphreys, and Stewart Counties with Tennova Healthcare - Clarksville
Through a Rural Healthcare Initiatives program grant awarded by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Nashville State’s Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education, in partnership with Tennova Healthcare - Clarksville, will be offering an in-demand Medical Assistant program for residents of Humphreys, Montgomery, and Stewart counties.
Throughout Tennessee, the healthcare industry is grappling with critical workforce
shortages, especially in rural areas like Montgomery, Stewart, and Humphreys counties.
This program training, supported by the Northern Middle Tennessee Workforce Board, is planned to start sometime in the fall of 2025, will take place in Montgomery
County, and will last three months.
This strategic partnership ensures future medical practitioners receive real-world, hands-on work-based learning in clinical environments, enhancing their readiness to meet workforce demands upon graduation.
Nashville State is currently undergoing a $35 million expansion and renovation at its Clarksville campus. As its service continues to grow, the campus will have expanded workforce training spaces and capabilities. Coupled with its Humphreys County campus, residents throughout the area are being served in various ways.
This program highlights an urgent need to address workforce needs. Medical assistants, once predominantly serving in administrative capacities, have taken on expanded clinical responsibilities, reiterating the critical role they serve in providing quality patient care.
“Nashville State has earned its reputation as a trusted leader in workforce education and is well positioned to meet this need, with a strong track record of programmatic retention rates, certification pass rates, and job placement outcomes,” said Joseph Johnson, executive director of the Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education.
This Medical Assistant program seeks to replicate the proven success of the college’s core Workforce Medical Assisting training pipeline, currently offered within Davidson County.
Since its launch in late 2022, this program has enrolled 150 trainees, 90% of whom remain employed full-time with the sponsoring healthcare partner. As of November 2024, the overall certification rate for eligible trainees stands at 100%.
As a collaborative program partner, Tennova Healthcare - Clarksville has committed to providing clinical work-based learning opportunities, prioritizing program graduates in their hiring process, and exploring compensation options for trainees.
Tennova Healthcare - Clarksville CEO Drew Emery shared, “We are excited for this partnership with Nashville State’s Center for Workforce Development. The opportunity to provide hands-on training is not only a benefit for the students; we at Tennova Healthcare - Clarksville have the opportunity to enhance our workforce with skilled talent from the middle Tennessee area.”
In announcing the initial grant recipients, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Deniece Thomas said, “The Rural Healthcare Initiatives Program is a critical step toward building a sustainable healthcare workforce in Tennessee’s rural areas. This initiative provides financial resources to support training, certifications, and apprenticeships.”
For anyone interested in learning more about joining this program, please email the Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education at workforce@nscc.edu.
