The current group of Medical Assistant students at Cybertex Institute of Technology’s Austin campus participated in a first-of-its-kind event this past Friday. Students participated in Bring a Friend to School Day, with a number of Cybertex students bringing friends who are interested in making the life-changing decision to pursue a career as a medical assistant. The event also featured guest lectures by Medical Assistant program graduates who have gone on to careers as medical assistants, at the invitation of Cybertex Medical Assistant instructor (and blog contributor) Kristine Peacock.
“Kristine’s teaching has made all the difference for me,” said Daryn Johnson, who has gone on from her instruction to a range of medical assistant work — spanning, as she put it, “everything from pediatrics to geriatrics.”
Johnson said, “There’s a lot of real-world experience and hands-on training here. Whereas others might just throw a packet of information at you and expect you to learn that, Kristine knows that you can’t just read a packet and learn what you need to know, especially if you want to do it right.”
Nova Thomison, who also presented to the group, noted, “Cybertex does a good job teaching a lot of very specific skills to students. It’s a great amount of info, presented very thoroughly, in a short amount of time.”
Current Cybertex students, who were drawn to the school through several different avenues, were excited for their future prospects even before the visit from graduates.
“We definitely learn a lot about medicine here, but also learn a lot about life,” said Kassidy Foster, who found out about Cybertex through a Facebook and started her journey toward becoming a medical assistant in February. “I love this class, but I also can’t wait to finish it. I’m glad I found this school.”
“I’m learning so much here,” added Paula Akujor, who enrolled because of her sister’s positive experience in Cybertex’s Vocational Nursing program. “My whole family’s in nursing; it just runs in the family.” She’s planning to utilize the knowledge she’s getting from the program as a stepping stone to her eventual goal of becoming an ER nurse.
For April Box, who is currently interviewing for an externship — the final stage of the Cybertex MA program — she’s excited about all that she’ll be able to do with medical assistant certification. “I was really surprised to learn about all the things you can do as a medical assistant. The possibilities are endless.” Box, like Akujor, has family who works in the medical field, and chose Cybertex because it could put her on a fast path to entering the field.
Taylor Koenig, like Box, was attracted to Cybertex because of its pace. “I’m an active learner and I like hands-on learning,” she said. “I went to college, and that didn’t work for me like this does. Here, you can’t just read a textbook.”
“We do a lot of role playing here,” said Sienna Hilton, echoing Koenig’s enthusiasm for the hands-on approach. “It’s incorporated into everything we do; we practice interacting with patients, how to hold a needle, even charting.”
“I truly think a medical professional has everything to gain and nothing to lose by dedicating 37 1/2 weeks to this program, especially knowing they can work anywhere in medicine for the rest of their lives,” said Peacock.
If you’re interested in learning more about the medical assistant program at Cybertex, reach out to our admissions department to find out more about financial aid, when you can start, and where it can take you!