Success Spotlights

How One Medical Assistant Student's Journey Comes Full Circle

Concorde Staff

Concorde Staff

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Updated March 28, 2016. The information contained in this blog is current and accurate as of this date.
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Jennifer Duffey grows a little taciturn when telling the story of how she first came to Concorde Career College. She finds the tale a bit embarrassing, but really, it made perfect sense for her at the time.

Back around the turn of the century, she graduated from a four-year state university with a bachelor's degree in education ... only to find out that schools in her area were laying off teachers.

She needed to find a new profession and find it fast. She'd always been interested in a career in health care.

At that point, Concorde made all the sense in the world.

Coming Home

Just as it does today as Duffey, who graduated from Concorde in 2004 with a medical assistant diploma, has come full circle.

She's combining her educational backgrounds in both education and health care as the new Manager of Programmatic Accreditation for the Campus Support Center at Concorde Career Colleges, Inc.

As such, she'll be responsible for working with each of Concorde's 22 programs, ensuring that all have their accreditation in line.

"I'll get the accreditation process going where it needs to and follow-through," Duffey said. "I'll also be supporting campuses with any reports, assisting with data collection."

Prior to returning to Concorde in a managerial capacity, Duffey was medical assistant lead faculty at another Kansas City-based career school and, before that, blended her backgrounds in another area university setting, working in curricula development, accreditation and served as academic dean.

But, she first entered the workforce in the office of a pulmonologist at St. Luke's Hospital, a position that directly came about from an externship she performed at the end of her medical assistant program at Concorde.

"My externship led to a job at St. Luke's where I eventually became an office manager," she said. "They hired me the day after they signed my evaluation on my extern."

A Great Opportunity that Stemmed from a Medical Assistant Diploma

It wasn't the exact plan Duffey had when she earned her degree in education. But, when that didn't work out, and she needed an alternative fast, Concorde Career College came through and provided her with the hands-on, accelerated education and training she needed.

"It was close to home, quick, and got me into a medical field," she said. "It was pretty much what I expected. I found out that I'm not a fan of drawing blood. But, I really liked my instructors. And, my externship led me straight to a great job."

"I really couldn't have hoped for anything more."

Take The Next Step Towards a Brighter Future

Interested in learning more about our Medical Assistant program? We have a Concorde representative ready to talk about what matters most to you. Get answers about start dates, curriculum, financial aid, scholarships and more!

  1. Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course load. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

  2. Professional certification is not a requirement for graduation, may not be a requirement for employment nor does it guarantee employment.

  3. Financial aid is available to those who qualify but may not be available for all programs. Concorde does not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards or amounts.

  4. Clinical hour requirements and delivery may vary by campus location and may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee clinical site assignments based upon student preference or geographic convenience; nor do clinical experiences guarantee graduation, post-clinical employment or salary outcomes.

  5. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by Concorde, but by outside agencies, and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, Concorde cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take these exams, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.

  6. Externships are a non-paid in-person learning experience, whose length and location may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee externship placement, graduation, post-externship employment or salary outcomes.