MARWeek, which is designated by the American Association of Medical Assistants, is celebrated during the third week of October. Medical assistants function as members of the health care delivery team and perform administrative and clinical procedures. The field is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Due to the importance of this field, the Mokena-Tinley Park campus wanted to ensure it spent a good amount of time celebrating the program’s students and graduates. Here are four ways the campus celebrated MARWeek.
1. The college hosted a dinner to honor graduates
The campus hosted a dinner on Oct. 22, which was designated as recognition day. The dinner allowed students to meet with graduates in the field and discuss real-life issues found in the health care setting.
“Graduates were also able to rekindle friendships that were made while attending Rasmussen College,” said Nadia LaVieri, program coordinator at Rasmussen College Mokena-Tinley Park.
During the dinner students were presented with syringe pens and lanyards as a token of appreciation.
2. ‘Stewards of Children’ held a continuing education workshop
The Stewards of Children—Darkness to Light held a continuing education workshop on the prevention of child sexual abuse; the workshop was presented by Advocate Childhood Trauma Treatment Program.
“The information provides the knowledge to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse and the guidance and empowerment to take action to prevent this abuse,” LaVieri said. “It is estimated that for every individual trained, 10 children can be saved from sexual abuse.”
10 participants completed the training, including a medical assistant student, and it will help protect 100 children. The Stewards of Children will return to the campus in April for Week of the Young Child.
3. Graduates got “pinned”
Graduates of the medical assistant program were honored with a pinning ceremony—a borrowed tradition from nursing school. Rasmussen College dean, Julie Lawrence, presented each graduate with a white rose to represent the purity of the profession, while LaVieri gave each one a pin to signify their accomplishments.
During the ceremony, counselors from Aunt Martha’s Youth Service and Health Center were on hand to answer questions regarding the Affordable Care Act, as well as open enrollment through Get Covered Illinois.
“Aunt Martha’s has been an externship partner for the college for numerous years offering students a brief glimpse of the clinical setting within the community,” LaVieri said.
The campus hopes to continue its own tradition in the ceremonial pinning of its graduates, and pass the torch onto the next generation of medical assistants.
4. The campus collected books for ‘Reading for Life’
Throughout the entire month of October the campus collected books for National Hook-Up of Black Women’s Reading for Life program, which increases literacy among children of all ages and helps prepare preschoolers to successfully transition into the educational system.
The nonprofit has partnered with Rasmussen College on many events, and books collected during this event will go directly to Aunt Martha’s Youth Service and Health Center for its donation libraries.
“The women’s health clinic has a ‘giving library’ where they donate books to children that visit their clinic,” LaVieri said.
Continue the celebration
While MARWeek offers plenty to do for medical assistant students and faculty, LaVieri said the campus hopes to develop additional traditions and events to celebrate the medical assistant program in the future. To learn more about becoming a medical assistant, don’t hesitate to visit the Health Sciences Blog.
MARWeek is among many celebratory weeks the college recognizes and honors; among the others are National Nurses Week, National Police Week and Week of the Young Child. Rasmussen College takes pride in supporting the students and graduates in as many ways as it can, and that starts with honoring the weeks designated for its programs.
