Pima Medical Institute is on track to open its new campus in El Paso, TX, in early 2017. The new campus will include three newly added certificate programs—Dental Assistant, Pharmacy Technician and Phlebotomy Technician. Other programs are also slated for addition in the coming months.
“Since 1972, Pima Medical has focused on educating knowledgeable healthcare professionals who dedicate themselves to patient-focused care,” said Pima Medical Institute President and CEO, Fred Freedman. “For over a year, we’ve brought that experience to El Paso, educating students in the occupational therapy, medical assistant and medical administrative assistant careers. Now we’re ready to offer El Paso residents even more career-training options, while also providing a spacious, interactive learning environment that will prepare them for their new professions.”
The 40,000-square-feet campus, currently under construction, is located at the former El Paso Saddleblanket Co. building, at 6926 Gateway East, near Interstate 10 and the Cielo Vista Mall. All three of the new programs are certificate degrees, with the Dental Assistant program running for nine months, Pharmacy Technician for 10 months, and Phlebotomy Technician for three months.
“Our market research has shown us that there is a strong demand in the El Paso market for well-trained dental assistants, pharmacy technicians and phlebotomists, so we are starting to enroll for these new programs now,” said El Paso Campus Director, Keever Jankovich.
Each program offers hands-on learning experiences in labs that are designed to mimic real-world settings, where students will eventually work. Once students have completed coursework, they go on to a clinical externship, which is similar to an internship. They work at a location that provides them with career experience before they graduate.
Other programs currently offered at the El Paso campus include the Medical Assistant and Medical Administrative Assistant certificate degrees and the Occupational Therapy Assistant associate degree.
