Medical Assistant

Students completing this Medical Assistant program will have the basic skills and knowledge, such as that necessary to properly administer oral, topical, and injectable medications, to assist with and documentation of routine clinical examinations and procedures, to perform tests common to a health care facility. The students also will have a basic knowledge of the various front office skills to allow them to assist those personnel, as well as the necessary clinical skills to become employed as ECG technicians, medical assistants, health unit coordinators, or surgical unit assistants as will be found in hospitals, clinics, and physician’s offices.

Key Benefits

• Take patient histories and vital signs
• Administer first aid and perform CPR
• Prepare patients for procedures
• Assist a physician with examinations and treatments
• Collect and process specimens
• Perform selected diagnostic tests
• Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician
• Process and transcribe medical records
• Process medical insurance forms
• Process Medicare and Medicaid forms
• Computerized medical machine transcription
• Medical coding procedures
• Posting patient accounts
• Entering procedure codes
• Asepsis techniques and infection control

Possible Employment Opportunities

• Physicians' offices
• Medical groups
• Hospitals
• Health Maintenance Organizations
• Public health clinics
• Nursing homes
• Extended care facilities
• Rehabilitation centers
• Facilities for the disabled
• Facilities for the mentally handicapped
• Schools, colleges, universities
• Business offices

Program Length is 900 contact hours (42 quarter credit hours)