Allied Medical and Technical Institute Prepares Students for in Demand Careers
If you answered yes, there is a good chance you were assisted (or pampered) by a graduate of Allied Medical and Technical Institute in Forty Fort. AMTI has been in the Wyoming Valley since 1984 and in its current location since 2000.
AMTI offers a variety of diploma programs in the medical and business field: Medical Assistant, ECG/Phlebotomy/Lab Assistant, Medical Transcription/Insurance Billing Specialist, Pharmacy Technician, Business Administration/Accounting and Massage Therapist. AMTI also offers and associate’s degree in specialized technology for Medical Assistant Technician.
According to a 2005 study by Work-n-Play in Northeast PA, the healthcare field is the third fastest growing field of employment in the five-county region. The study also expresses that careers in these fields require skilled employees, or those that completed a skilled education program. Heather Contardi, director of admissions echoes that survey adding that to fulfill the needs of the medical facilities in the area, there is first a great need for a technical education.
“As we experience a growth in our population, local healthcare providers are now experiencing a demand for more skilled workers,” she said. “The healthcare field itself is continuing to grow in this area, with the expansion of local hospitals.”
What Contardi is referring to is the proposed expansions projects by both Geisinger of Wyoming in their new South Wilkes-Barre location and a new location in Tunkhannock. Wyoming Valley Healthcare Systems’ General Hospital is also set to expand in the future. Two new retails pharmacies are under construction in the Back Mountain. And this growth means more career opportunities.
AMTI is both expanding career options and literally growing in size. In July, they began a new diploma program in business administration/accounting-another rapidly growing area of employment. And, an estimated $1M two-phase expansion project is underway at the school’s Slocum Street campus, making way for another new program: Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, better known to tradesman as HVAC.
“HVAC is a high demand occupation in this area, and training is needed to fulfill the growing need,” said campus director, Ruth Brumagin of the new program.
The building’s owner, Ruckno Construction relocated to Luzerne, leaving a 11,000 square foot building available for AMTI’s new facility. The HVAC building will house classrooms, labs, offices and a student lounge. With the obvious boom of business and housing being constructed in the area, it is no doubt the new graduates of the HVAC program will be scooped up fresh from graduation.
Career schools such as AMTI offer short-term comprehensive training programs which prepare graduates for careers in high-demand areas such as the medical field and skilled labor market. AMTI attracts both students fresh from high school, as well as adult learners reentering the workforce or just those starting a career a little later in life.
“AMTI allows you to gain marketable skills in a short period of time, which are in demand by reputable employers in this area,” Contardi said.
The length of programs at AMTI varies according to specialty and whether students enroll in the day or evening classes. But all include a mix of theory and hands-on learning in the classroom, and culminate in an externship program that takes students out of the classroom and into a facility in their chosen field to spend their last weeks learning alongside professionals. The exception is the massage therapist program, where students run an on-site massage clinic. AMTI, which is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, offers financial aid to those who quality, career placement assistance and many other support programs.
AMTI is not just an institution providing valuable education to students; it’s also a reputable West Side employer. AMTI has a staff of a few dozen staff and faculty members, comprised of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals whom serve as instructors and an administrative and support staff comprised of directors, financial aid planners, admissions representatives, education outreach representatives, a placement department and more.
“AMTI has a great staff of professionals committed to helping students achieve their career goals,” said Brumagin.
AMTI has a sister campus in Scranton that has been open for over a decade, and offers a similar course selection, as well as several dental programs. To learn more about the career training programs offered by AMTI, call 288-8400 and ask for the admissions department or, visit www.alliedteched.edu. For corporate information, visit www.edaff.com.
