Frequently Asked Questions

Medical Assistants work in an outpatient setting and must have excellent computer, customer service, and communication skills.  They are most likely to work daytime hours. Patient Care Technicians work in an inpatient setting on a hospital floor or in a long-term care facility and are likely to have work schedules that include some evenings, nights or weekends.

No.  You must attend a scheduled Information Session or meet individually with the program coordinator.

All Programs begin both in fall and in spring.  

Students who begin in September will complete either in May or August.  Students who begin in January will complete in August.

Most classes are scheduled between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This depends on the tuition and fees set by the state and college for the upcoming semester.  It also depends on which classes you need and if you have appropriate transferrable credits.

Medical Assistant, 28; Patient Care Technician, 26; Medical Interpreter, 18; Nursing Assistant, 7; Pharmacy Technician, 16; Central Processing, 19; Surgical Technology, 40.

Specialty internships for Medical Assistant and Patient Care Technician programs is 168 hours. The Nurse Aide/Home Health Aide internship is a total of 24 clinical hours (three days of eight hours of clinical experience, including a one hour lunch).

The Clinical Placement Coordinator places students in internships based on several factors: availability of clinical sites, course grades, feedback from faculty, and if applicable, where students live. The Clinical Placement Coordinator cannot guarantee placement at any specific location or department.

You may submit a request in writing to the Clinical Placement Coordinator.  However, you are not guaranteed placement at that site.

Graduates of all Allied Health Programs are eligible to take the national certification exam specific to their area of completion.

We provide you with all the tools you need to find a job (you will prepare a professional resume, cover letters, etc.) but you will find your own job.  You will learn how to apply for positions online and will learn which websites to use.  We also hold employer workshops where representatives from healthcare institutions visit BHCC to discuss their facilities and the positions available and to accept applications from interested students. The clinical internship is a practical way to secure employment.

Yes. It is a requirement for the Patient Care Technician Program. This training is optional, but strongly recommended, for Medical Assistants.

Students take a total of seven credits: 

AHE 110 (Principles of Clinical Practice) - three credits

AHE111 (Patient Care Skills) - three credits

AHE106 (CNA Practicum) - one credit

The internship is a total of 24 clinical hours (three days of eight hours of clinical experience, including a one hour lunch).  This training will always be conducted on weekends and/or holidays beginning after the eighth week of the semester.  Students sign up in groups of 10 following their medical clearance.

The 24-hour CNA practicum is held in a facility that has an agreement with Bunker Hill Community College and the Health Science Division of Allied Health Programs.

Upon successful completion of the nursing assistant-basic course, students will receive a course completion certificate with seven (7) earned credits and will be eligible to take the Massachusetts registry Nursing Assistant certification exam. Currently the certification exam is being administered through D&S Diversified Technologies - Headmaster.