New Workforce programs address state-wide shortages in healthcare industry
October 28, 2021
The Community College of Rhode Island is addressing the state’s staffing crisis among
behavioral and clinical health agencies with two free training courses designed to
provide the struggling healthcare workforce with skilled, qualified workers.
CCRI’s Division of Workforce Partnership’s Medical Assistant and Case Manager programs,
both of which launch on November 8, offer students the opportunity to learn real-world
skills in a clinical setting and important job placement assistance once they complete
their certification.
Case Manager training begins with an initial two-week “boot camp” followed by a 30-week
paid externship (20–29 hours per week) with industry partner, Community Care Alliance.
By the end of the seven-month program, graduates will have earned 20 college credits,
a guaranteed full-time position in the field, and a subsequent pay raise.
The Medical Assistant program includes a 12-week training followed by a four-week
externship with Integrated Healthcare Partners. Compared to other local Medical Assistant
courses that cost thousands of dollars and run for approximately 10 months, CCRI’s
training is free and accelerated to a 16-week window to ensure students are learning
the skills relevant for today’s healthcare environment.
“We are excited to launch these timely trainings that assist in improving the clinical
and behavioral health workforce shortages in Rhode Island,” said Tekla Moquin, Executive
Director of Workforce Partnerships at CCRI. “Healthcare programming continues to be
an area of focus and growth at CCRI, and with the new challenges presented by COVID-19,
we are meeting them side-by-side with our employer partners.”
Both courses address a growing need in the healthcare industry; according to workers
in the community behavioral-health field, unfilled vacancies are placing additional
stress on frontline workers, and with less funding from state and federal agencies
amidst the pandemic, employers cannot offer wages and incentives comparable to those
at hospitals and larger healthcare entities. The trickle-down effect has made it increasingly
difficult for behavioral health agencies to recruit skilled workers.
According to the 2021 External Healthcare Labor Market Analysis by Mercer, a nationwide asset management firm, the healthcare labor market is expected
to face shortages over the next five to 10 years at county, state, and regional levels,
which could boost the demand for jobs in several fields, specifically mental health
professionals, where Mercer predicts there will be a 10 percent increase in demand
for workers five years from now.
CCRI’s newest Workforce Programs in Healthcare are designed to grow the supply chain
to industry partners, producing skilled workers ready to fill high-demand positions
within Rhode Island.
Case Manager training is for those who want to work with adult clients suffering from
mental illness and other life challenges to ensure proper care options to meet their
mental, physical, and emotional needs. The training includes the aforementioned externship
with Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket, a non-profit that covers a wide range
of services from counseling, treatment, and residential programs for those impacted
by mental illness and addiction to employment, financial literacy, and vocational
training to improve self-efficiency. Those who graduate the program will move on to
a full-time position as a Case Manager with Community Care Alliance, one of the many
statewide agencies suffering from staffing shortages.
“The case management training and externship project with CCRI offers an innovative,
non-traditional workforce development approach that is an important step in addressing
the healthcare staffing crisis community-based organizations are dealing with at present,”
Community Care Alliance President and CEO Benedict Lessing. “Moreover, it offers a
pathway to advanced training, education, and employment opportunities for applicants
that want to enter the behavioral health and human services field. CCRI's marketing,
training, and educational capacity adds value to non-profit organizations whose mission
is to address Rhode Island's most complex human needs.”
With Medical Assistant training, students participate in an externship with Integrated
Healthcare Partners – which includes organizations such as East Bay Community Action
Program, Wood River Health Services, Comprehensive Community Action Program, and WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care – and learn a number of important, transferrable
skills, including patient triage, patient education, specimen collection, injections,
vital signs, ECGs, and social determinants of health. That overlap of skills makes
it possible to transition to different jobs within the industry through continued
education and credentialing; graduates can enter the field as medical assistants,
then return to college to segue into new opportunities, anything from a phlebotomy
technician to a registered nurse.
“IHP is pleased to partner with CCRI to provide needed trainings for individuals who
are focused on advancing the health outcomes of the 30,000 lives we serve,” said Integrated
Healthcare Partners President and CEO Rebecca Plonsky.
“Medical Assistants are an integral part of care delivery team to provide important
screenings for behavioral health and social determinates of health and to connect
individuals to services and supports. We look forward to onboarding new graduates
from the program to advance our mission as an Accountable Entity.”
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