Vista CA— The graduation ceremony for the second cohort of the Medical Assistant Training Program, a joint offering of Vista Community Clinic (VCC) and California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), will take place from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, August 18 at Shadowridge Golf Club, 1980 Gateway Drive in Vista.
Twenty-nine students will receive certificates of completion. Speakers at the ceremony will include Fernando Sañudo, Chief Executive Officer of VCC; Denise Boren, Associate Professor, CSUSM’s School of Nursing; and Angie Perez, president, VCC Board of Directors.
“VCC and CSUSM have partnered to develop a robust and rigorous program,” said Sañudo. “Students receive the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the health care field. The program propels them toward a career track where they can find jobs that pay good wages and offer opportunities for advancement. Health care organizations in our communities are benefitting by having access to a larger pool of well qualified workers.”
Students in the graduating class, ranging in age from the late teens to forties, come from diverse backgrounds. They include baristas, tutors, clerical workers as well as unemployed community residents who want to reenter the workforce.
Among them is Zual Infante, a mother of three. The Oceanside resident enrolled in the program because of its convenient North County location and its affordability. The tuition is about a sixth of similar offerings at private institutions.
“I have always been interested in taking care of people,” said Infante, a former caregiver to the elderly. “I wanted to further my education, improve my career prospects and make a better life for my family. This program has been everything that I had hoped for. The instructors were knowledgeable and helpful. The program staff supported me every step of the way.”
The six-month Medical Assistant Training program, which began in the fall of 2016, is offered jointly by VCC and CSUSM. The program integrates classroom learning with 160 hours of hands-on clinical training in a health care facility. Students learn how to draw blood, administer injections, take vital signs, schedule lab tests and assist physicians. Upon completing program requirements, they become eligible to work as medical assistants in health clinics and doctors’ offices, and to take the California Certified Medical Assistant exam.
The MA program has received generous support from the San Diego Women’s Foundation and the Schiff family of Vista.
Classes for the next session of the Medical Assistant Training Program start in September. To learn more, email [email protected].

About Vista Community Clinic

With seven locations in the cities of Vista, Oceanside, La Habra and Lake Elsinore, VCC provides affordable, high quality health care to more than 60,000 residents in San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. Services offered by VCC include primary care, pediatrics, prenatal and women’s health, behavioral health, optometry, dental care, and chiropractic services. VCC also offers a wide array of innovative health education programs for all community residents and free health insurance enrollment assistance. VCC is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Level 3 (highest) Patient-Centered Medical Home. For more information, please call (760) 631-5000 or visit www.vcc.clinic.