What You'll Learn in Medical Assistant Courses
Medical assistant courses provide the foundation for your career, teaching you a broad range of subjects from accounting to pharmacology to computer software. Along with clinical and administrative training, your medical assistant classes will offer the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience before you enter the field.
Medical Assistant Course Curricula
You'll find medical assistant training programs at career colleges and community colleges. In general, you can expect your medical assistant courses to cover these subjects:
- Clinical and diagnostic procedures
- First aid
- Human anatomy
- Keyboarding and computer applications
- Laboratory techniques
- Medical billing and insurance coding
- Medical law and ethics
- Medical terminology
- Medication administration
- Office practices
- Patient relations
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Record-keeping and accounting
Additionally, accredited medical assistant programs will include hands-on training in a real-world medical setting, such as a physician's office, hospital or other health care facility, where you will gain valuable insight and experience to complement your education. Many students go on to find permanent medical assisting positions at their externship provider.
Education Options
As a student in a medical assisting program, you can choose one of two educational routes:
Of course, the educational route you choose depends on a number of personal factors, including time and money. Students who plan to pursue an advanced degree later in their careers should consider that the credits earned through an associate's program can count toward an eventual bachelor's or master's degree.
The Importance of Accredited Medical Assisting Courses
Accredited medical assistant courses present significant advantages to students. To start, only accredited programs qualify for federal and state financial aid. Second, as mentioned above, accredited medical assistant training typically includes an externship to provide students with practical experience in the field.
Finally, if you plan to pursue medical assistant certification, which will grant you the best career opportunities, you must graduate from a college accredited by one of these two agencies:
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
You can also earn medical assisting certification in a specialty area, such as podiatry, optometry or ophthalmology. Professional organizations dedicated to advancing medical assisting practices in these areas provide specific information about the medical assistant courses and experience required for certification.
Online Medical Assistant Courses vs. Traditional Classroom Training
Many schools offer online medical assistant courses to satisfy the growing number of working adults, stay-at-home mothers and other students who simply cannot fit a full-time, on-campus educational program into their already demanding schedules.
Accredited online medical assistant programs provide the same high-quality education you would receive from traditional classroom training. However, if you have concerns, you can compare online medical assisting course listings to on-campus ones and talk to program advisers and graduates to make certain you're choosing the best online program for you.
Prepare for Career Success in Medical Assistant Courses
Colleges design their medical assistant classes to provide the education and hands-on training that will prepare students for job success. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a 35 percent employment growth rate for medical assistants through 2016, making it one of the fastest growing among all job and career types. Now is the perfect time to earn the credentials that can lead you toward a rewarding career.
