Access Academy is a Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission authorized private, certificate-granting, low-cost training program targeting students of low-income and/or minority households who are not bound for college yet desire a career in the medical profession. As a division of the Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Access Academy is a nonprofit initiative aiming to provide medical assistant training to students who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise have access to quality training.
Access Academy employs a business model based on tuition fees that are subsidized by charitable donations and sponsorships, and a faculty body that is largely comprised of medical volunteers. Consequently, tuition is very affordable for the five-month program, permitting students to complete their training without the need for student loans, resulting in our graduates’ higher earning capacity going directly into household cash flow rather than student loan debt service.
Many high school students elect not to pursue college or technical education yet desire industry-specific training that results in certification so that they may maximize their earning and advancement potential. Access Academy increases opportunities for students of underrepresented races and ethnicities seeking a career in the healthcare industry to gain professional experience that might not otherwise be available to them. Historically, the importance of who you know, rather than what you know, has contributed to labor market inequalities regarding gender, minorities, and people experiencing poverty. Living in low-income communities and belonging to a minority group can isolate those individuals from networks of higher-earning professionals as mentors. Admission to Access Academy is limited to candidates living in households earning not more than 250% of the current Federal Poverty Level.
The Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett has a long history of teaching undergraduate and graduate students of the health sciences the art of practicing medicine and dentistry for the benefit of uninsured people living in low-income households, particularly immigrant families. Since 2012, our staff has precepted and mentored nearly 500 graduate students of the medical and dental professional degree programs with which we partner. Through Access Academy, our experience and expertise are now available for training a skilled medical assisting workforce.
