New Medical Assisting Program Opens Opportunities for South Dade Students

South Dade students will have new opportunities to pursue careers in healthcare before graduating from high school.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Career Dual Enrollment Medical Assisting Lab at South Miami Senior High School. The program is being offered in partnership with South Dade Technical College.

The partnership will allow students to earn industry certifications and receive hands-on medical training while continuing to attend high school.

“We are so proud that we were able to bring South Dade Technical College’s industry knowledge and expertise to South Miami Senior High School’s Career Dual Enrollment Medical Assisting Program,” said René Mantilla, assistant superintendent of the district’s Office of Postsecondary Career and Technical Education.

“This partnership will give these students the skills and opportunities to become certified and to work in healthcare, an industry not only in demand but critical to our community,” Mantilla said.

School Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas, Central Region Superintendent Brenda Swain, South Dade Technical College Director Llennery Pena and South Miami Senior High School Principal Herbert Penton attended the ceremony along with school employees and students.

The program’s curriculum includes clinical procedures, administrative healthcare duties, medical assisting practices and training with modern medical equipment.

“Through this partnership with South Dade Technical College, we are proud to open new pathways in the healthcare field for our students,” Penton said.

“This program will provide them with real-world experiences, access to an in-demand industry, and career certifications that prepare our students for the workforce while still in high school.”

Approximately 80 students are expected to enroll in the Medical Assisting Program when classes begin.

Students can enter the program in ninth grade and take specialized medical assisting courses throughout high school. They will receive practical training in taking patients’ vital signs, drawing blood, performing electrocardiograms, administering injections and medications, and assisting physicians with medical procedures.

Medical assisting instructor Griselle Torres said the new lab will allow students to apply what they have learned in the classroom. Torres, an instructor with South Dade Technical College, has 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry.

“Last year we did not have this wonderful lab,” Torres said.

“Now students can perform hands-on medical assisting procedures like suture removal, burn care, wound care and vital signs. They can put into practice what they have been studying.”

Students will be eligible to take a state examination at the end of the program to earn their medical assisting certification. Those who successfully complete the requirements can enter the workforce as medical assistants after graduation.

Enzo Ramirez, an incoming 10th-grade student in the program, said the new laboratory will give students experience beyond textbooks and classroom lectures.

“What we did before was mostly theory,” Ramirez said. “But now we’re going to draw blood, use a stethoscope and take blood pressure. This is learning by doing instead of theory.”