Nashville State, Tennessee Oncology Form Medical Assistant Certification Program

Nashville State Community College and Tennessee Oncology have partnered to offer interested Tennessee Oncology employees the opportunity to invest in their own educational and professional development at no personal cost.

To kick off this workforce enrichment partnership, Tennessee Oncology Medical Assistants will sit for a 72-hour certification preparatory course targeted at ensuring participants are prepared to excel on the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam, thus receiving a clinical MA certification.

Similar to other healthcare providers, Tennessee Oncology, a nationally recognized oncology practice with 35 clinics throughout Tennessee and North Georgia, consistently looks for trained and licensed Medical Assistant professionals.

Medical Assisting is a vital aspect of patient-centered care and is an increasingly fast-growing occupation. Medical Assistants are cross trained to perform a range of clinical and administrative duties important to patient care including logging medical histories, patient examination preparation, collecting and preparing lab specimens, wound care, appointment scheduling and arranging admissions and lab services.

The Medical Assistant training certification program is the first phase between Nashville State and Tennessee Oncology, a partnership that will address a multi-pronged workforce strategy in other medical fields.

“Nashville State continuously looks to work with private, governmental, and non-profit organizations to develop and support workforce staffing needs,” said John Cunningham, Nashville State’s Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education’s director of Healthcare Partnerships. “With this Medical Assistant program, we are tailoring this program to fit the needs of Tennessee Oncology.” 

Led by the College’s Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education, the program incorporates continued collaboration with its School of Health Sciences on classroom and clinical training. Both divisions fall under the strategic purview of Academic Affairs.

As a leader in patient-centered cancer care, clinical research, and care delivery innovation, Tennessee Oncology is recognized for advancing cancer care in the U.S. In 2018, the practice joined with other leading oncology practices to start OneOncology, a fast-growth oncology platform dedicated to supporting independent oncology practices through capital, technology and expertise. 

“Offering our employees enrichment opportunities to advance their careers is an important aspect of why Tennessee Oncology is consistently an employer of choice in the medical field,” said Natalie Dickson, MD, president, chief strategy officer, Tennessee Oncology.  “This program brings an excellent opportunity for our medical assistants to prepare for their CCMA exam, receive their certification and advance their careers. We’re proud to partner with Nashville State Community College on this initiative.”

The collaboration incorporates clinical and classroom competencies to ensure students are prepared to provide optimum patient care upon completion.