MCC student gets perfect score on national exam

When Mohave Community College student Brandy Poe took her American Medical Technologists Certification Exam, she never expected what was about to happen.

The national exam is 220 questions, scored on a 99 point system, and test takers must score 70 points to pass.

“I was in disbelief when saw that I had scored 99 out of a possible 99 points,” said Poe, who is now a Registered Medical Assistant in Lake Havasu City.  “I was looking around the empty exam room to see if this was real and just sat there staring at the screen for a minute reading it over and over to be sure I was really reading what it said.”

Many in the field of field of medical assisting describe getting a perfect score on the industry’s certification exam rare and impressive.  Poe credits MCC for preparing her for the test, especially the Medical Assisting program faculty.

“I had instructors, Lori Hogue, Nicole Casado, and Candi Lutz who really put their hearts into teaching us and used their years of experience in the field to bring what we learned in the books to actual practice,” she said.

Poe graduated high school 25 years ago, and when her youngest son left home to go to college, she decided it was time for her to seek a change.

”I talked to my husband about what I wanted to do and what it would mean for me, and for us, and he was all for it,” she said. “I started out going to MCC part time, with two online classes, and then started going full time.”

Like most MCC students she was balancing school and work, but with a lot of effort and late nights studying she accomplished her goal and graduated.

“It was never unmanageable, I was lucky to have supportive friends and family.  I would have to miss out on functions with them so that I could get through the homework,” she said, pointing out it takes time and work.  “But it doesn’t last forever, and it is so worth it in the end because becoming an RMA has been so rewarding. I absolutely love my job and being able to take my school experience and knowledge and put it into actual real world practice is very satisfying.

The demand for Medical Assistants is high and growing, with an estimated 138,900 positions needing filled by 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

MCC can prepare you for employment in several positions at hospitals, doctor offices and other health care settings.

The college Medical Assistant program offers a degree and two certificates, Associate of Applied Science in Medical Assisting, Certificate in Insurance and Coding and a Certificate in Phlebotomy.  

You will also take Medical Assisting courses at MCC to become a Healthcare Information Technician, a position in which you would electronically record and manage patient health information. 

More information is available on our Medical Assisting page, or you can call 1-866-MOHAVECC and ask about Medical Assisting and Health Information Technician programs.

 

Here’s a quick peek at one of our Medical Assisting classes.