BUSINESS CASE STUDIES

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BUSINESS CASE STUDY

Aviva Health

Aviva Health needed a strong training program for their Medical Assistants to ensure quality care to their patients. After implementing a Registered Apprenticeship program at their facility, they quickly began to see positive impact.

Located in Roseburg, Oregon, Aviva Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) whose mission is to provide quality and affordable healthcare to Douglas County residents. At Aviva Health, all fees are based on income and family size and do not require insurance. Like many medical offices, Aviva Health employs Medical Assistants (MAs) to assist nurses and physicians in administrative and clinical tasks. MAs are not required to have any medical training when they’re hired, so ensuring they’re prepared for their role is critical to patient safety and care. In order to further their mission towards providing quality healthcare, Aviva Health sought to develop a structured and comprehensive training program for their MAs through a Registered Apprenticeship.

“The special thing about Medical Assistants is, technically, we don’t have a scope of practice that we are mandated by law to follow,” said Evie Jarrett, MA Coordinator at Aviva Health. “So everything we do falls under our organization’s policies and procedures and our provider’s licenses as well. Developing a program where we have straightforward policies and procedures is what we need to do… Not only does it protect our patients, but it protects our employees, our providers, and the whole organization.”

As Aviva Health’s Chief Compliance Officer, Joe Pospisil handles liability, insurance, and risk management for the organization. From a compliance standpoint, having specific policies and training for MAs ensures that necessary skills are learned, tested, and followed correctly. This protects the company if there is ever a question about a MA’s qualifications and skillset.

“Developing a program where we have straightforward policies and procedures is what we need to do… Not only does it protect our patients, but it protects our employees, our providers, and the whole organization.”

“One of the things that I found unbelievable about the MA process and MAs in general is that there was zero testing as far as skills,” said Joe. “That’s why we were so excited about the apprenticeship program. There will be defined [skills] that we know that these folks can do.”

It took a couple of years for Aviva Health to build their apprenticeship program, but now their organization has a curriculum that can comprehensively train anyone at any experience level. As MA Coordinator, Evie contributed largely to the structure of the apprenticeship program at Aviva Health. She recalls training for her first role as a MA and how much has changed since then.

“…Everyone’s getting the proper training before they’re set off on their own, where they could potentially make mistakes which could harm patients, and could affect the provider’s care of the patient.”

“When I first started, I had two weeks of training and they said, ‘Okay, you’re on your own,’” said Evie. “Whereas now, I developed a program that takes at least 30 days, more if needed. [That way] everyone’s getting the proper training before they’re set off on their own, where they could potentially make mistakes which could harm patients, and could affect the provider’s care of the patient.

“When you take a great employee who shows up on time and gets along with their co-workers and is interested and engaged, and make them an apprentice, you’re a lot more assured of success,”

Beyond patient safety and liability protection for the organization, Aviva Health’s apprenticeship program instills confidence and loyalty in their MAs. Many of Aviva Health’s current MAs opted to go through the apprenticeship program to get certified and further their skills. This leads to better-trained and more well-rounded employees.

“When you take a great employee who shows up on time and gets along with their co-workers and is interested and engaged, and make them an apprentice, you’re a lot more assured of success,” said Joe. “You’ve taken this great quality and made it even better… And you instill loyalty in that employee–they’re willing to stay with you because this is kind of like home.”

RECAP

THE BENEFITS OF REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP FOR BUSINESSES

Aviva Health believes in providing the best quality care for their patients, and that means employing a team of qualified and trained health professionals. After years in the making, Aviva Health’s Registered Apprenticeship program:

Provides structured, in-depth training and testing that ensures the safety of patients
Helps protect the organization from liability concerns
Builds confidence, skills, and loyalty in the Medical Assistant team

Ready to take the healthy step toward Registered Apprenticeship? Contact an Apprenticeship Business Representative at 971-235-6289 or ATDemail@boli.state.or.us.