MGMA Business Solutions: Building a Strong CMA Pipeline With U.S. Career Institute
Download MP3On this episode of the MGMA Business Solutions Podcast, host Daniel Williams speaks with Rob Fershtman, Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships at U.S. Career Institute. With more than a decade of experience helping healthcare organizations strengthen their pipelines for Certified Medical Assistants and other essential roles, Fershtman shares strategies for addressing staffing shortages, creating flexible education pathways and building long-term retention in medical practices.
Key Takeaways:
Key Takeaways:
- [05:41] - Identifying workforce gaps: How rural healthcare organizations are struggling to recruit talent and why early-stage career roles, like medical assistants, are critical to closing the gap.
- [08:14] - What US Career Institute offers: An overview of the accredited programs and degrees, with a focus on entry-level healthcare pathways and medical assistant training.
- [10:40] - Real-life success stories: How individuals from diverse backgrounds (oil riggers, hairstylists) transitioned into healthcare careers and thrived with support from their employers.
- [12:15] - Didactic + clinical training model: Why combining online coursework with hands-on clinical instruction creates the most effective outcomes for medical assistant preparation.
- [17:20] - Open-book learning and retention: How cognitive load theory and open-book quizzes improve knowledge retention and prepare students for certification exams.
- [25:20] - Partner-driven customization: How organizations can tailor the learning sequence and clinical checklists to align with their unique needs and workflows.
- [28:08] - MGMA CMA program partnership: How practices can access U.S. Career Institute programs directly through MGMA to build and sustain their CMA pipelines.
Resources:
- Visit the U.S. Career Institute website
- MGMA Clinical Medical Assistant Certification, Powered by U.S. Career Institute - Learn More
- Connect with Rob Fershtman on LinkedIn
- MGMA Membership - Learn More and Register
- 2025 MGMA Leaders Conference: Sept 28-Oct 1 in Orlando, FL - Register Here
Additional Resources:
Email us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts.
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This episode is brought to you by NotifyMD — the patient access solution built for healthcare professionals. You work hard to care for your patients, and NotifyMD helps you do just that. Their communication experts handle calls, schedule appointments, provide nurse triage, and more — all available 24/7. NotifyMD integrates seamlessly with platforms like athenahealth and Epic and meets the industry’s highest security standards, so you can trust that patient information stays private and protected. Learn more at notifymd.com.
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