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Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 20 to celebrate the launch of South Miami Senior High School’s Career Dual Enrollment Medical Assisting Lab in partnership with South Dade Technical College.
This program allows students to earn industry certifications and gain hands-on experience in the medical assisting field while still attending high school.
“We are so proud that we were able to bring South Dade Technical College’s industry knowledge and expertise to South Miami Senior High School’s Career Dual Enrollment Medical Assisting Program,” said assistant superintendent René Mantilla from the Office of Postsecondary Career and Technical Education. “This partnership will give these students the skills and opportunities to become certified and to work in healthcare, an industry not only in demand but critical to our community.”
In addition to Mr. Mantilla, Miami-Dade School Board chair Mari Tere Rojas, Central Region superintendent Brenda Swain, M-DCPS District representatives, South Dade Technical College director Llennery Pena, South Miami Senior High School principal Herbert Penton, school staff, and students attended the event.
The Career Dual Enrollment Medical Assisting curriculum provides instruction in clinical procedures, administrative healthcare functions, medical assisting practices, and training with modern medical equipment.
“Through this partnership with South Dade Technical College, we are proud to open new pathways in the healthcare field for our students,” Principal Penton said. “This program will provide them with real-world experiences, access to an in-demand industry, and career certifications that prepare our students for the workforce while still in high school.”
When school begins, approximately 80 students will be enrolled in the Medical Assisting Program. From ninth grade through their senior year, they will take specialized courses each semester focused on medical assisting. Students will gain industry experience by practicing skills such as taking patients’ vital signs, drawing blood, performing electrocardiograms (EKGs), administering injections and medications, and assisting physicians with advanced medical procedures.
“Last year we did not have this wonderful lab,” said Griselle Torres, the program’s medical assisting instructor from South Dade Technical College, who has 30 years of industry experience. “Now students can perform hands-on medical assisting procedures like suture removal, burn care, wound care, and vital signs. They can put into practice what they have been studying.”
At the end of the school year, students can take a state exam to earn their medical assisting certificate. After that, they are ready to be hired as medical assistants.
“What we did before was mostly theory,” said Enzo Ramirez, an incoming 10th grader in the program. “But now we’re going to draw blood, use a stethoscope, and take blood pressure. This is learning by doing instead of theory.”
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