IBMC Medical Training Changes Lives
by Renee Young | Photography by Warren Diggles
With people going to great lengths to protect themselves from illnesses, it seems strange to intentionally place yourself in the midst of a contagious atmosphere. That is exactly what people do everyday, however, at the Institute of Business and Medical Careers (IBMC). “It’s an infectious environment you want to be in,” says Steve Steele, president of Northern Colorado’s homegrown occupational associate’s degree school.
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“I can promise you that at the end of the day, the students and their success are the number one focus we have.” - Steve Steele, President, Institute of Business and Medical Careers
IBMC faculty, staff, and students agree. “To see the growth in students and to see them succeed…I can’t get enough,” says Charissa Swope, a registered medical assistant and phlebotomist, and an IBMC instructor.
Rich and Colleen Laub purchased the school (originally called Medical Careers Training Center) in 1991, after moving to Fort Collins. Rich Laub grew up in the postsecondary education world; his father co-founded the National Education Corporation in Newport Beach, California, so helping people achieve success beyond high school came naturally to him.
When the school’s student population began bourgeoning in the mid-‘90s and the Laubs recognized a need in Northern Colorado for better trained business professionals, they changed the school’s name to the Institute of Business and Medical Careers (IBMC) and expanded its offerings from primarily medical assisting to include diplomas and degrees in medical billing and coding, therapeutic massage, pharmacy technician, business administration and accounting, paralegal, and administrative assistant. Since then, they also established branch campuses in Greeley and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
According to Diana Gunderson, Vice President of Education, the school has seen another influx of students in the past two years. Enrollment today stands at more than 750 students compared to half that number in 2007.
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The relative brevity of IBMC programs (19 months or less for most programs) attracts many students, often those fresh out of high school who do not want to attend a two- or four-year university, but know they need college-level career training. “Employers are excited to get IBMC graduates because they are prepared enough to be able to hit the ground running, but yet they’re still trainable to suit an individual employer’s needs,” Gunderson explains.
IBMC’s fast-track coursework also attracts people who may want to change careers, such as Carole Thyfault. “I wanted a career for myself that I could take anywhere to support my son and myself…something to be proud of…and the 19-month [medical assisting] program turned me on.”
IBMC’s medical assisting program includes training in taking vital signs, injections, phlebotomy, the preparation of lab specimens, EKGs, suture removal, and more. In addition to class training, students participate in an externship where they do hands-on training in a physician’s office, a clinic, or other healthcare setting.
Certainly the economy is another reason for the increasing enrollment at IBMC and other postsecondary institutions. In a down economy, “…people get a little scared and take a look at themselves and want to add some more marketable skills,” Steele says. The medical field seems to offer some protection from job losses that other fields, such as technology, don’t offer. “Healthcare is something, regardless of what the economy is like, we all have to have. So we’ve really tried to focus our program offerings around things that don’t cycle, like healthcare.”
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IBMC touts an average 90 percent monthly retention rate, plus anywhere from an 83 to 100 percent job placement rate in medical professions. Part of this success is credited to the school’s hands-on training by instructors who work in the healthcare field and externships, which afford students the opportunity to gain real-world experience and make connections while working in local clinics and medical settings.
Tara Campbell received a degree in massage therapy and was working part time as a therapist, plus working full time managing University of Northern Colorado’s health clinic. More and more she found herself responsible for billing and collections, so she enrolled in IBMC’s medical billing and coding degree program. Campbell took advantage of IBMC’s flexible hours; she worked her jobs all day, plus mothered six children, then attended classes from six to nine o’clock in the evening four nights a week. Now Campbell manages her own medical billing business where she employs three other people, two of whom also are IBMC graduates.
For Campbell, “balancing workload and time management was huge, but it was definitely worth it.”
It must have been, because now Campbell’s 19-year-old daughter, Kesha Montoya, a newlywed and new mom, is halfway through a medical assisting degree program at IBMC’s Greeley campus. “I probably wouldn’t have been aware of what IBMC has to offer if it hadn’t been for my mom, but I love it. It’s like a small community – everybody knows everybody and is willing to help one another out.”
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IBMC’s classes are challenging. Campbell already alluded to how daunting the workload can be without exercising serious time management skills. Thyfault says that, “it was definitely challenging trying to work, go to school, and maintain a 4.0 GPA, plus raise a family, but IBMC will follow you through and support you.”
Jessica Pantano, a recent IBMC graduate with an associate’s degree in medical assisting, says she had tears in her eyes the day she finished her classes. “These guys are like a second family. They take care of their students here and help you through the hard stuff, like financial aid. It’s definitely more of a people environment versus an institution.”
For Pantano, who was hired by the Women’s Clinic of Northern Colorado the day after she finished her externship, but before she actually received her diploma, the expense to attend IBMC at first seemed more than she could handle. “The biggest hurdle for me was the cost. It’s definitely more expensive than [some other local colleges], but the fact that I already have a job and I haven’t even officially graduated makes it worth it. Plus, financial aid covered about 99 percent of my expenses.”
Additionally, the cost of IBMC’s medical programs (approximately $17,500 to $27,000) is all-inclusive. “The price includes tuition, books, and medical kits that include items used in class and labs, like a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and lab coat,” says Christina Nilsson, IBMC’s marketing executive. “Students are not nickel and dimed here like at a lot of other colleges where you have tuition, then other expenses, and then more expenses.”
Another challenge for some students is that credits earned at IBMC often do not transfer to other colleges and universities. Gunderson said IBMC credits currently transfer to the University of Phoenix, Colorado Christian University, Colorado Technical University, and Regis University, and the school is working on more transfer agreements. “I would love to see us have an articulation agreement with Front Range Community College or AIMS Community College.”
Despite the challenges, most students agree that IBMC changes lives. To those considering IBMC, Thyfault says, “Just go. Just do it. Don’t hesitate. You won’t have regrets.”
“Caring individuals, changing lives,” reads IBMC’s tagline. “That’s a nice thing to be able to say and a nice thing to put on a t-shirt, but it’s completely another thing to live it,” Steele says. “I can promise you that at the end of the day, the students and their success are the number one focus we have.” +
Renee Young is a freelance writer based in Fort Collins.