The College of Southern Maryland recognized 70 students for completing their Continuing Education and Workforce Development Healthcare programs Dec. 10 in a traditional pinning ceremony.
“What an exciting day for our 70 completers, and those who are receiving their pins this afternoon of our Continuing Education and Workforce Development Healthcare programs in clinical medical assistant, certified nursing assistant, geriatric nursing assistant, dental assistant, electrocardiogram technician, phlebotomy technician and certified medicine aide at the College of Southern Maryland in 2019,” offered CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy. “For many of you, this is an achievement you have dreamed of, and on behalf of the college’s dedicated team, we are delighted to help make your dreams become your reality.
“You made a wise –and powerful– decision to pursue your career goals and achieve your dreams at the College of Southern Maryland,” Murphy continued. “Our healthcare programs connect our students with the tools they need to be better health professionals, and it is through these programs that our students learn the skills necessary to grow in an existing job or to launch an entirely new career. Southern Maryland cannot afford to waste the talent of one individual and so we are very proud of our students and are excited to celebrate each and every one of you and your accomplishments.”
Also taking the stage to celebrate the graduates, CSM Associate Vice President of Continuing Education and Workforce Development Ellen Flowers-Fields pointed out there has never been a better time to be in healthcare.
“Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate that healthcare is among the fastest growing employment sectors overall, growing nearly 20 percent by 2026 in order to adequately care for our aging population,” Flowers-Fields said. “With that in mind, our completers today can enjoy such career opportunities in their respective fields as: medical assistants and phlebotomists can take advantage of career field growth opportunities ranging from 24 to 29 percent, with nearly 90 percent of all employers preferring post training certification, like each of you now possess.
“Job growth for nursing assistants in general is expected to be at a rate of 11 percent, faster than the average for all occupations and is expected to create 173,400 new positions by 2026,” she continued, adding that employment of dental assistants is also projected to grow 11 percent. “The aging population and ongoing research linking oral health and general health will lead to continued increases in the demand for preventive dental services.”
A recent report by CNN Business Reporter Anneken Tappe echoed Flowers-Fields.
“America’s health care sector is an employment powerhouse that is keeping the US labor market strong,” Tappe reported. “Healthcare hiring is so robust, the industry would be pretty much immune to a recession or changes in politics.”
Tappe went on to quote Glassdoor Chief Economist Dr Andrew Chamberlain who called healthcare “by far the largest and healthiest sector of the economy.”
Key to the success of each graduate is the CSM staff and adjunct healthcare faculty. CSM Healthcare Program Director Lori Proctor recognized Dr. Marvin Becker, Connie Connor, Jessica Dych, Corissa Figueredo, Dr. Denise Gaylord, Brenda Gentles, Jennean Hodge, Betty Ratliff, Selma Sinclair, Cindy Summers, Brenda Wilson, Jill Lassiter and Beverly Shoaf,
“The College of Southern Maryland is fortunate to have dedicated staff and faculty,” Proctor said.
Before recognizing the completers with their healthcare pins, CSM Healthcare Course Manager Jill Lassiter thanked the various clinical partners across the Southern Maryland region who play vital roles as trainers and employers of CSM’s healthcare program participants.
“As you can imagine, there are many partners involved to help make this program a reality and I would like to take a moment to recognize their support,” Lassiter said before calling on representatives from Chesapeake Shores, DATS, Genesis Healthcare Waldorf Center, LabCorp, Sagepoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Solomons Nursing Center to stand for applause.
Receiving their pins as 2019 completers of the CSM Continuing Education and Workforce Development Healthcare Programs were:
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Program
- MaKayla Cardova
- Dominique Cork
- Amber Francis
- Gabriel Gonzales
- Molly Hudson
- Daisha Johson
- Alexandra Tillett
- Vernon Wingate
Certified Nursing Assistant/ Geriatric Nursing Assistant Program
- Megan Floria
- Ashlee Gorman
- Tayonna Gray
- Micah Lewis
- Hannah Manzi
- Danielle Marrero
- Hollie Matthews
- Trenea McKissic
- Hannah Miller
- Courtland Moran
- Maritrese Nash
- Shirley Onyeukwu
- Kayla Proctor
- Sherri Riess
- Kelly Shannon
- Ruby Steuart
- Madeleine Walter
- Kira Watkins
- Gabrielle White
- James Young
Dental Assistant Program
- Jessica Anderson
- Tyler Burton
- Crystal Bush
- Amanda Chapman
- Amber Farrell
- Daniela Folchetti
- Leslie Gomez
- Nashundra Gross
- Janissa Harding
- Christan Holmes
- Destiny Mitchell
- Disaundra Murphy
- Diana Owens
- Halay Poole
- Billeigh Reese
- Ki-Ya Rodriguez
- Summer Sargent
- Lyndacee Sells
- Laura Thomas
- Tayler Woods
Phlebotomy Technician Program
- Anna Canter
- Delanah Colbert
- Ebony Cole
- Alexandra Coppage
- James Easter
- Kaitlin Horak
- Samantha Lester
- Angela McCollum
- Danielle Parker
- Hannah Shepard
- Emilie Strozier
- Michelle Thomas
- Irene Thompson
- Ashley Thorne
- Shyane Wood
- Aaliyah Yates
Certified Medicine Aide
- Meaghan Beasley
- Tia’Desha Harris
- Temilola Oketola
- Yasmine Posey
- Maria Seward
Encompassing credit degree programs like Nursing, Massage Therapy, EMS, Medical Lab Technology and more, and continuing education workforce training certificates in a variety of specialties like Phlebotomy, CNA/GNA, and ECG/EKG Technicians, the Health Pathway at CSM is a broad swath of medical training for a number of different careers. Some types of nurses and massage therapists can expect to get started on their careers after two years, or advance their education with certifications at CSM; medical assistants and phlebotomists can get certified in a matter of weeks or months.
For information about the various programs, visit https://www.csmd.edu/programs-courses/pathways/health/.
