FARMINGTON — Franklin Memorial Hospital will host an information session for those interested in taking a 16-week course that could lead to a career as a certified medical assistant.

The information session will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, in the Bass Room at the hospital. It will offer details about the course that meets from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting Thursday, Oct. 19, and continuing on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Feb. 9, 2018.

The course will be held at the Spruce Mountain Adult Education building in Livermore Falls.

Prerequisites for taking the course include a high school diploma or equivalent (or currently enrolled in a program), a criminal background check and a good disposition and willingness to learn.

Cost of the course is $3,000. Financial advisers will be available at the information session. Scholarships are available. 

The course prepares students to perform patient clinical skills in various medical office settings. Students perform clinical procedures, including administering medications, assisting with minor surgery, performing an electrocardiogram, obtaining laboratory specimens for testing, educating patients and maintaining clinical equipment in an ambulatory care setting. Medical assistants perform routine clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors and optometrists running smoothly.

Franklin Memorial Hospital has openings for internships for those who successfully complete the course.

For more information, contact Robyn Raymond, director of Spruce Mountain Adult and Community Education, at 207-897-6406 or Tania Dawson, director of Western Maine AHEC, at 207-779-2554.