BILINGUAL CERTIFIED MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM (BCMA)
The BCMA Program was designed to address the need for qualified Latinos in the health care industry. It is the only program of its kind in Illinois where admissions criteria requires students to speak fluent English and Spanish in order to carry out course work rquirements.
Preparation includes 36 weeks of class work and a 4 week (160 hours) externship in a health care facility making the program 40 weeks in total.
For Successful entry into the program candidates must have a high school diploma or GED, an admissions interview; pass a Spanish proficiency exam and placement test.
Our BCMA is the only Bilingual Medical Assitant program in Chicago certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
BCMA graduates are eligible to take the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (AAMAE) Certification exam.
PROGRAM ESSENTIALS
·Classroom, laboratory and externship experience
·Clinical and administrative competencies
·Emphasis on medical terminology in Spanish
·Certification examination preparation
·Graduates are CPR certified
·Cultural sensitivity curricula component
HEALTH CARE PARTNERS
The Bilingual Certified Medical Assistant program was developed with the assistance of representatives of several of Chicago’s most well-known health care facilities.
·Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
·Chicago Department of Health
·Children’s Memorial Hospital
·MacNeal Health Network
·Mercy Health System of Chicago
·Michael Reese Hospital
·Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center
·Northwestern Memorial Hospital
·Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center
·Saint Anthony Hospital
GRADUATES ARE TRAINED &
FULLY
QUALIFIED
FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:
·Medical Assistant
·Phlebotomist
·Lab or EKG Technician
·Medical Billing Clerk
·Health Information Specialist
HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY QUICK FACTS
Communication barriers can lead to improper diagnosis, poor patient compliance and frustrated patients and providers.
The Office of Management and Budget reports an estimated 66 million patient-provider encounters occur each year that have to straddle the language barrier. After English, the most frequent language encountered is Spanish.
According to recent demographic studies, Latinos comprise 26% of Chicago’s metropolitan population, but less than 5% of the city’s health care workers.
