Fortis

As medical technology continues to advance, doctors are increasingly relying on medical assistants to help with various patient care needs. Most medical assistants work in the offices of physicians while others work in public and private hospitals, inpatient and outpatient facilities, the offices of other health practitioners such as chiropractors and optometrists, and in nursing and residential care facilities.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical assistants is projected to grow much faster than average nationally, which ranks medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008-2018 decade, and job prospects for skilled medical assistants should be excellent.

The Practical Nursing program at Fortis provides the theory, laboratory and clinical experiences to prepare students to sit for the NCLEX licensure exam and pursue an entry-level position in Practical Nursing. Nursing theory guides clinical practice. The clinical portion of the PN nursing curriculum includes hands-on experience providing nursing care to diverse patient populations in hospitals and other health care agencies. In addition, the clinical portion of the PN program will enable the student to observe first-hand the behaviors that are crucial to employability. Upon completion of the practical nursing (PN) program, students must apply to take the NCLEX-PN examination to obtain licensure as a practical nurse.

The Expanded Functions Dental Assistant [EFDA] program is designed to prepare students for entry-level dental careers working alongside dentists. Skills taught in the EFDA program include placing dental restorations under the direct supervision of a dentist. The expanded functions dental assistant program also prepares students to assist the dentist chairside or to work in the operatory or treatment room with the dentist. The chairside dental assistant mixes and prepares dental impression and restorative materials, evacuates debris and extraneous materials from the oral cavity, and prepares the operator for procedures including instrument tray and anesthesia set-ups as required by the dentist.

In the Expanded Functions Dental Assistant courses at Fortis, students are taught to expose, process and mount dental radiographs (x-rays). Learn to perform dental instrument sterilization duties and prepare cases to be sent to an outside laboratory. The expanded functions dental assistant may perform some dental laboratory procedures within the office and is often the person responsible for infection control and sterilization requirements as set forth in government regulations and guidelines. The EFDA program at Fortis also prepares students in the various administrative and clerical procedures required in a dental office including word processing, managing files and records, scheduling appointments, and handling other front office duties.