Eligibility & Participation
What are the responsibilities required of the NIMAA Program Coordinator at my organization?
NIMAA recommends the following profile for Externship Organization Program Coordinators (PC): An individual who is in an upper management position, such as an operations person, nurse manager or a provider. The person should be in daily ...
What staff will I need to support NIMAA successfully at my organization?
The following roles are critical to the success of the NIMAA program at your health center: The Externship Organization NIMAA Program Coordinator (PC) - click here for an overview of the PC role Preceptors - click here to see preceptor ...
What are typical Preceptor responsibilities?
Preceptors have an important role in the NIMAA Medical Assistant program. This role comes with some activities or duties you will need to perform daily and weekly with NIMAA students. Please see the list below. Supervising students in the clinic Pre- ...
What are typical Site Facilitator responsibilities?
Site Facilitators have an important role in the NIMAA Medical Assistant Program. This role comes with a set of activities facilitators will need to participate in with NIMAA students. These activities are outlined below: Provide space for students ...
Does NIMAA pay for the preceptors?
No, NIMAA does not pay the externship organization for any time that its staff supports NIMAA students. NIMAA does provide no-cost trainings and monthly support for preceptors.
Could this program be part of a paid MA apprenticeship through workforce development programs?
Absolutely! We think this is an exciting option for both providers and students, and we will strongly support externship organizations that want to go this route.
Have you considered the impact of your preceptor model on productivity?
Yes. Because a preceptor model is similar to training new staff, most clinical sites are already well versed with this process. Initially, in both instances, productivity is challenged; but, as more skills are added, the students become more helpful. ...
What are the qualifications of the NIMAA Program Coordinator at an externship site?
The liaison to NIMAA needs to be an individual who is in an upper management position, such as an operations person, nurse manager, or a provider. The person should be in daily communication with senior MAs (i.e. preceptors). It is important for the ...
Is the externship organization responsible for providing training rooms/space?
Externship organizations need to provide a conference room or exam room for skills practice two times per term (NIMAA's 29 week program is divided into four terms).
How many students should each externship organization have?
Each externship organization will determine their capacity to host students, but we are hoping that each will agree to between five and 10 students. Usually these students are spread out over multiple clinics of the externship organization, with ...
What about different MA rules of practice in different states?
We actively research and review the regulations for MAs for every state in which we teach. As practice is changing rapidly, and clinics have varied practices, we focus more on team-based care needs for the patient, not just the specific job of an MA ...
Our health system has to meet certain PCMH/ACO metrics. Do you teach this?
Absolutely. PCMH principles, along with data measurement, are a central part of the curriculum, including the Uniform Data System, HEDIS, and other data measurement. NIMAA participants must learn how to manage data to be successful in today's ...
Does a clinic need to be offering patient-centered medical home and team care to be an externship organization?
Externship organizations need to be committed to, and already moving towards, person-centered, team-based care or they are unlikely to be interested in this kind of training. Moreover, just training the MAs in this fashion will not work well unless ...
How much work is involved by a participating externship organization in preparing to support the NIMAA model?
To be successful, externship organizations need to establish leadership and systemic support of the NIMAA program. This typically starts with an internal executive sponsor who sees the value NIMAA can bring to your health center, and who then ...
How does NIMAA support externship organizations?
NIMMA provides the following support to externship organizations: Access to experienced faculty, regular live and taped lectures and discussions, and online curriculum Preceptor training course to prepare for the program Preceptor training courses, ...
What are the responsibilities of a NIMAA externship organization?
NIMAA externship organization responsibilities include the following: Host medical assistant students for their 29-week externship, enabling students to gain hands-on experience at the clinic. Appoint a Program Coordinator who will act as the ...
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