St. Vincent’s East to provide health care job training

A certificate program to train health care workers is coming to the Trussville area this July. 

Jeremiah’s Hope Academy, an outreach ministry of St. Vincent’s Health System, will expand from its St. Vincent’s Birmingham campus to train in three areas of study at St. Vincent’s East: medical office assistant, patient care assistant and mental health technician.

“One of the guiding principles of St. Vincent’s is to expand the role of the laity and to reach out into the community and to promote health care and wellness on every level. What the hospital saw was a deficit and a need for health care workers, and there’s a lack of health care workers,” said James Hollis, program coordinator for Jeremiah’s Hope Academy (JHA) East. 

The program includes 10 weeks of full-time classes, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, followed by two weeks of clinical work. It is designed to provide a cheaper route to national certified health care positions than the traditional community college path. At the East campus, each program is capped at eight students per term. 

Over the last 11 years that the program has been offered in Birmingham, participants have ranged from age 18 to 72, from fresh out of high school to those seeking a career change.

Cost for the JHA programs offered at St. Vincent’s East location range from $2,163 to $3,177 depending on the program, and includes tuition, books, supplies and fees for the program’s national certification exams. 

As part of the application process, which includes a $20 non-refundable fee, interested students will be interviewed to help determine which program is best for them — serving in patient care as part of the nursing support staff, specialize in working with those with mental disorders or working in billing, medical coding and other office roles.

Hollis, who has taught at JHA for two years after working as a medical assistant in St. Vincent’s ambulatory health care network, said he wishes the program had been an option for him when he was working his way through community college for the same certification.

“Everything we put our students through is just as rigorous and demanding as what I went through at a two-year college,” Hollis said. “In terms of cost, in terms of education and opportunities that are available, our program stands head and shoulders out there. If I’d known this program existed,  I wouldn’t be paying off student debt right now. I would have gone through this program and gotten right into the work force. It’s amazing to me that this is an option.”

Hollis said the program is “geared toward finding individuals who need an extra help. They don’t really know that this is an option, because it’s one of a kind.” Applicants are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to reduce their total fee. Federal funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Work Place Development Act and GI Bill are accepted. 

Allyson Sanders, JHA program coordinator at St. Vincent’s Birmingham, said the program has proven successful, seeing 95 to 100 percent of the program’s graduates pass their national certification. JHA graduates also have the opportunity to work with an employment resource specialist to prepare resumes, cover letters and send out referrals for job placement. 

“We work really hard to get our graduates placed in permanent full-time positions, and we’ve had some really great things happen,” Sanders said. 

Some find work within St. Vincent’s Health Systems, which Hollis said pays a starting rate of $12/hour for these entry-level positions without experience. 

Participants in the patient care assistant program will sit for the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) certification exams for certified patient care technicians/assistants (CPCT/A), certified phlebotomy technician (CPT) and certified EKG technician (CET). Those completing a mental health technician track will complete all three NHA certifications for the patient care program and a national certified psychiatric technician (NCPT) by the American Association of Psychiatric Technicians (AAPT). Medial office assistant program graduates will sit for NHA certifications for electronic health records specialists (CEHRS) and medical administrative assistants (CMAA).

The deadline for the summer term has passed, but applications will be accepted until July 27 for the fall term, which will begin Oct. 1. 

Additional courses are offered at St. Vincent’s Birmingham. For more information about Jeremiah’s Hope Academy, or to apply, jhacademy.org or call 939-7233.