Earlier this month, the Ross Medical Education Center students in the Port Huron, Michigan Medical Assistant program took a field trip to Lake Huron Medical Group in Marysville. Angie Wilczynski, a Medical Assistant Instructor at Ross, is also the Network Manager at the practice. She was thrilled to give a tour of the office and answer all the student questions relating to externship and medical assisting.
The students were able to ask questions of several medical assistants including a current Port Huron Ross student who is currently on externship. Students were excited to see a familiar face and had many questions for the extern. Knowing that they could potentially be looking at their own future, the students were all very engaged and excited to have their questions answered.
Some of the questions asked were: What does a normal day look like? How do you remember so many things? Is your site hiring? The extern and the network manager took their respective questions and spent the necessary time to be thorough in their answers. Having their questions answered helped to alleviate some nervous feelings that some students face about their upcoming externship. The students were pleased to hear that the vital skills they learn throughout class everyday are used in the field and enjoyed seeing how well the soon-to-be graduate was fitting in and loving his externship site.
Students were excited to look at the exam rooms and get an understanding of how their clinical and administrative skills play into one another to foster a productive workflow. One of the greatest advantages of the field trip was seeing the current extern in action and watching how he utilized the skills and knowledge acquired during classroom training. This first-hand experience gave the current students more confidence about their chosen program as well as elicited a more serious look at how important their role as a medical assistant in a busy office really is.
The visit brought together all of the important pieces the students have been taught throughout the various modules. For many, this made all the parts of their education come together and make sense. It can be difficult as a student to understand why you learn a specific skill set until it is put into practice. This visit to Lake Huron Medical Group Marysville was an excellent way for the students to learn about their profession. Ross Medical Education Center Port Huron, Mrs. Jobbitt, Mrs. Monarch, and the Medical Assistant students would like to extend a thank you to Angie Wilczynski and her staff for scheduling the visit and welcoming the campus.