Medical Assisting Skills Lab Instructor (Chicago)

Overview

We are seeking Medical Assisting Skills Lab Instructors to facilitate in-person, clinical skills labs at our downtown Chicago Campus on weekday afternoons at 3pm. 

The topics covered in skills lab include:

Infection Control and Patient Communication

Vital Signs

Emergency Procedures

Patient Examinations

Specimen Collection and Testing

Phlebotomy

EKG and Assisting with Minor Surgery

Medication Administration

WHO WE ARE -  National Louis University (NLU), founded in 1886, is a private, non-profit university based in Chicago, IL serving nearly 10,000 students across five colleges. In November 2020, the University launched Accelerate U, a new division at the university offering rapid pathways to high-demand skills, post-secondary degrees, and an upwardly-mobile job and career. The Accelerate U team works with employers and non-profit operators to build affordable academic and training pathways that 1) lead to an industry-recognized credential/certificate, 2) bridge to an in-demand, upwardly-mobile job, 3) include coaching and wraparound supports, and 4) grant participants Pell-eligible college credit that can build to a bachelor’s degree. 

Our first training credential - a Medical Assistant Certification - is 24 weeks long followed by a 160-hour externship with one of our employer hospital or health clinic partners. Learners earn a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) credential from National Health Association (NHA) credential along with 30 college credits that can be applied towards a bachelor’s degree. Program participants work with their instructors and a coach throughout the experience and interview with Accelerate U’s healthcare employer partners for a full-time job immediately following program completion.

WHO YOU ARE-

You are committed to equity, access, and building economic mobility.

You understand that economic disparity and income inequality are destabilizing forces for a true democracy. You know the power of a great education - one that catapults a learner into new, choice-filled opportunities. You also know that too many talented, high-potential people get left out, overlooked, or skipped over when it comes to opportunities. You want to break down those barriers, destroy those misconceptions, and prepare and connect extraordinarily talented people with the opportunities they deserve. 

You are driven to succeed.

You are passionate about serving all Accelerate U participants including first-generation learners and others motivated by the challenge of becoming a medical assistant. You want to take everything you know about being a medical assistant and translate it, through the Accelerate U curriculum, to others. You’re agile, creative, flexible and engaging in how you teach - ready to figure out the exact right way to reach each learner. You believe all Accelerate U learners can be successful and that your job is to transform their motivation into the skills and mindset of a great medical assistant. 

You are a great teacher.

You love every part of teaching medical assisting: the technical stuff, of course, but also the professional skills, mindsets, habits that are essential for success in a hospital or health clinic. You’re excited to teach hands-on clinical skills in a manner that engages all students and ensures they become proficient in the skills necessary to excel on the job. You’re eager for feedback and always trying to get better. You’re excited to collaborate with others such as professional coaches, peer instructors, and the Accelerate U team. 

You want to create a community - a sense of belonging - for every learner.

You understand learners are not passive enrollees in our program, but active drivers of their own learning, and that learners in our program support the learning of one another: exploring content together, encouraging one another, and holding each other accountable on their way to full-time work. (You may even work along-side program alumni who have returned to be coaches or instructors.) As an instructor, you will create a space for learners to build “social capital” among their colleagues so that they head into work with a meaningful, professional network.

Essential Responsibilities

• Participate in a 2-3 hour skills lab instructor training session, in person.
• Facilitate eight (8), 2.5 hour skills labs training sessions for a group of 8-12 students.  Arrive 30 min early and stay 30 min late to support the preparation and clean up of lab sessions. A total commitment of 28 hours. The dates for skills labs for the cohort of students that starts in the fall are the following in the afternoons and/or evenings:

10/30/25

3 & 6 pm

1. Infection Control + Communication

1/22/26

3 & 6 pm

2. Vital Signs

2/26/26

3 & 6 pm

3. BLS + Emergency Procedures

3/12/26

3 & 6 pm

4. Patient Examinations

3/17/26

3 & 6 pm

5. Specimen Collection + Testing

3/24/26

3 & 6 pm

6. Phlebotomy

3/31/26

3 & 6 pm

7. Cardiology (EKG) and Assisting with Minor Surgery

4/7/26

3 & 6 pm

8. Medication Administration (i.e. immunizations)

• Closely assess student skill level throughout lab sessions and share individualized feedback on areas for improvement.
• Coordinate closely with the Accelerate U team, which may include the inclusion of assistant instructors.
• Promote student success by showing flexibility as well as exhibiting a passion for teaching and engaging students in the learning process.

Qualifications

Required Skills:

• Highly proficient in medical assisting clinical skills.
• Excellent facilitation and classroom management skills.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Ability to work with a highly diverse faculty and student body.

Required Experince and/or Education: 

• Certified medical assistant with 5+ years of experience in a clinical role and setting, required.
• Minimum of an Associate’s degree in a related field of study
• 1+ years of experience training other medical assistants, preferred.
• BLS Provider certified, preferred.

About NLU:

National Louis University (NLU) is looking to honor its past while defining a bold new future as a contemporary, comprehensive university that prepares diverse students for sustained professional success with a deep commitment to Access, Excellence, Innovation and Equity. We are a pioneering community that uses innovation to improve outcomes.  NLU questions the status quo and strives to adapt and evolve with the changing needs of its students.   We are a community that cares about each other and our students and we work collaboratively, tirelessly and quickly to advance change in the service of students.  We have a long venerable history, but we are not typical.  We seek to solve intractable social issues through education; we believe we have not succeeded until graduates achieve sustainable career related employment; and we foster a culture that promotes failing fast so that we may constantly improve our work. 

Founded in 1886, National Louis University is a private not-for-profit university offering over 70 programs from short-term certificate through the doctoral level across its five colleges.  The University serves over 10,000 students per year and has experienced unprecedented growth over the last several years.  Most students are from Illinois, but the University also attracts students from throughout the U.S. and from around the world who take advantage of campus based, blended and online programming. 

NLU is located in the center of Chicago’s downtown loop, across the street from the Art Institute, in an area which has been recognized as America’s largest campus with over 25 institutions and 50,000 students attending a college across the city. In addition, the University has two suburban locations and a Florida regional campus.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued.  We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

Compensation and Benefits

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact.  Our institution values Adjunct Faculty's role in advancing our teaching mission and preparing our students for successful careers.  Adjunct Faculty have access to training resources for professional development, access to shared governance as a part of our Adjunct Council, retirement plans, educational opportunities, and paid time off.  A more complete list of Adjunct Faculty Benefits can be found here.

Adjunct Faculty are paid by course or assignment each term.  These rates vary by college and number of credit hours for the course/assignment.  While the specific amount will be indicated in an electronic contract that is issued to the Adjunct Faculty member when the course is assigned, an overview of standard rate structure is available below:

2025 Adjunct Faculty Rate Structure

Application Instructions

Please Include the following with your Application:

• Curriculum Vitae, required
• Transcripts (Official or Unofficial)
  • Official Transcripts for all related degrees, licenses/certificates will be required upon hire

Optional Additional Attachments:

• Teaching Philosophy
• Sample Syllabus
• Additional Licenses/Certifications
• Course Evaluations