Irene Malfitano has been an instructor in the medical field for the past 17 years, beginning her career at Ocean County College. She currently teaches at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School in New Jersey. Irene was introduced to NOCTI around the same time she started her career and has shared her knowledge as a NOCTI Subject Matter Expert (SME) as part of the Medical Assisting revision team.
When asked to describe her experience with NOCTI as an SME, she replied, “I feel honored to have been chosen to be part of the SME team for the review and updating of the Medical Assisting exam. Our team was so diversified yet united in our passion and the goals we set for our students. It was important for me to see that our training was closely aligned to what is expected of Medical Assistants in their chosen field.”
Irene hopes to continue to collaborate with NOCTI on future projects as an SME. Irene encourages anyone interested in becoming an SME in the future to give it serious consideration as is that it is a rewarding experience. “I met such passionate, dedicated medical professionals during my journey with the Medical Assisting test revisions. I learned so much along the way as well, as we all had different backgrounds to share and different course content to compare. It truly was a learning experience,” she shared.
How did Irene become an educator in the medical field? “My instructor at OCC asked if I had ever taught. At that point, I had never taught a class. She asked me if I was interested in taking over teaching the medical transcription program at the College. I jumped at the chance to teach something I was so passionate about.”
“It was a whirlwind course of events in my life that I never could have predicted. I would not change anything about my journey, as I love where I have been and where I am now. I never dreamed I would be a medical instructor, but now I cannot imagine a different career choice for myself.”
Irene loves to read and enjoys the feel of turning pages and holding a physical copy of a book. She enjoys true crime shows and attributes her love for forensics and the medical field to those shows. She finds Scrabble to be an excellent game and is always looking for a worthy competitor. Not a day goes by without her playing Wordle by the New York Times.
Irene finds the most rewarding thing about being an educator is to see the students who walk in the doors that truly want to become a Certified Medical Assistant. She enjoys watching students work in successful careers and continue with their medical education.
Interested in becoming a NOCTI SME? Apply online at https://clientservices.nocti.org/forms/SME/SMEApplication and submit your resume.