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Highland to Graduate First Class with MOA Certificates

Highland to Graduate First Class with MOA Certificates

Those involved with the Medical Office Assistant (MOA) program at Highland Community College are excited about an impending milestone for both the College and the MOA program - the first class of students to complete the MOA Certification through a program developed in conjunction with Mosaic Life Care. 

HCC Online administrators and program faculty are so pleased with and excited for these four students they are providing the students with a Scottie Nation t-shirt to commemorate their accomplishment.  The four students in this initial MOA class are Amanda Grubb and Melissa Johnson of St. Joseph and Brenda Keller and Aaron Perry of Kansas City.   

The College will recognize these students at its commencement ceremony on the Highland campus on May 12, 2017. Details of the commencement ceremony are online at https://highlandcc.edu/pages/graduation.

Mosaic wanted to provide an educational opportunity to their employees who were currently working full time in order to expand their job duties/responsibilities.  Mosaic wanted to provide this opportunity to their employees and then be able to offer them positions within the organization as Registered Medical Assistants.  Mosaic has a stepping stones program for employees to assist with the financial aspect of their educational expenses as well.  Mosaic, along with other employers, in the past have provided OJT training for life care guides and patient techs.  Highland healthcare faculty are starting to see changes in the workplace -- employers are requiring employees to obtain their education and credentials to work in these healthcare roles. This is the first step in the process of this transition with Mosaic.

Highland Director of Nursing Cindy Jacobson and Director of MOA Christina Prudden began a contract with Mosaic two years ago. Jacobson, Director of Technical Education Lucas Hunzinger, and Director of HCC Online Denise Peters were vital in the launch of this program.  It took a year to set up the curriculum and delivery methods, and now the first group will be finishing the coursework this fall. The program started with a small group of four as it was the trial run of this program and now has a second cohort of nine students beginning the program.  Mosaic has already mentioned starting a third group. 

Students who are in this program are taking a full-time college program while working full time for Mosaic, which makes their accomplishment all the more commendable. Prudden notes this program currently is not open to the public as it is contracted with Mosaic Life Care.  Students take the entire program broken into three semesters. These students complete their clinical rotation while at their work sites; in addition, they are offered a monthly simulation lab conducted by Prudden at a Mosaic facility in Platte City, MO.

Prudden also noted that the delivery of this program and completion of the certificates by these students was a team effort between the College and Mosaic.  In addition to those mentioned above, Prudden is grateful for the leadership of Vice President for Academic Affairs Peggy Forsberg, the professional assistance of Director of Admissions Stephanie Peterson and her staff and Director of Financial Aid Joshua North.  She commented that the success of this initial cohort would not have been successful without the extra hours and commitment of these and others, both at the College and with Mosaic.

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