Medical assistants support licensed healthcare providers by managing clinical and clerical tasks in medical settings. It’s a straightforward but indispensable role requiring health and administrative training. Technical schools offer medical assistant programs that provide the comprehensive, lifestyle-friendly education needed to fill this exciting, in-demand position.
What Is a Medical Assistant Program?
A medical assistant program is your road map to a rewarding career in the healthcare industry. Instruction is a blend of book learning, laboratory activities, and practical, real-world experience, covering what you need to know to build a successful career.
Courses include:
Anatomy and Physiology I and II with Medical Terminology
Anatomy and physiology are the studies of body structure and function. Students explore the major body systems, medical terminology, and abbreviations associated with anatomy, pathology, diagnostic testing, and clinical procedures.
Pharmacology
Designed specifically for medical assistants, this class covers the practical aspects of pharmacology, including drug classifications, routes of administration, common side effects, and interactions. You’ll learn to work with pharmacists and teach patients about their medication regimens.
Clinical Skills
Medical assistants do various clinical tasks, from taking vital signs to recording medical histories. In this hands-on course, field-experienced instructors will detail each procedure until you’re comfortable and confident enough to work with patients. You’ll be familiarized with the same equipment you’ll use on the job.
Electrocardiography and Cardiac Testing
Medical assistants perform electrocardiograms (ECG) and other cardiac testing, such as Holter monitoring and pacemaker function checks. This class examines these tests’ scientific and technological foundations, including the diagnostic implications. Topics include ECG equipment, patient preparation, testing processes, and documentation.
Asepsis and Assisting with Minor Surgery
Asepsis is the absence of pathogens. Medical assistants prepare for and assist with minor surgical procedures by using aseptic techniques that eliminate disease-causing microbes from instruments and surfaces. Course concepts include sanitation, disinfection and sterilization, equipment set-up, patient draping, instrument handling, and incision care.
Phlebotomy and Laboratory Procedures I and II
These classes explore the skills required to draw blood and perform basic laboratory procedures. You’ll learn to work safely in a laboratory environment through classroom instruction and hands-on training.
Phlebotomy training includes equipment selection, venipuncture techniques, and sample handling. You’ll get realistic practice on models and simulators, applying what you learned about asepsis to protect yourself and patients against bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Laboratory procedures training has theoretical and practical components. Students learn more about occupational safety and personal protection before delving into testing methodologies. Topics include laboratory equipment, from microscopes to centrifuges, specimen collection, pipetting and dilution techniques, personal protective gear, and quality control measures.
Urinalysis and Microbiology
Urine tests are as necessary as blood tests for diagnosing certain diseases. Among a medical assistant’s most valuable skills is urinalysis, a microscopic examination of urine components. Students in this course learn about the physical characteristics of urine by examining slides under a microscope.
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is likely when bacteria are present. A microbiology primer explains the significance of UTIs, the common pathogens involved, and how to prevent and treat infections.
Keyboarding with Microsoft Word
Documentation and correspondence are a large part of a medical assistant’s job. This course focuses on developing proficiency in keyboarding and the world’s most popular word-processing software, Microsoft Word. Topics include keyboard shortcuts, spell check and proofreading tools, and document management. These skills are a must in any modern medical office.
Communication and Human Relations
Healthcare is a person-centered field. Students in this class learn to express themselves confidently among patients, peers, and professionals. You’ll develop the verbal and non-verbal communication skills you need to build positive therapeutic and workplace relationships through role-playing activities and what-if exercises. Topics include professional etiquette, cultural and generational competence, empathy, integrity, and conflict resolution techniques.
Medical Administrative and Business Practices
Medicine is an art, a science, and a business; clerical tasks are a part of all patient encounters. This course covers the administrative and business aspects of healthcare, including appointment scheduling, inventory management, productivity, workflow, and customer care. As a medical assistant, you’ll work with clinical and administrative teams to create a positive patient experience.
Computerized Billing and EMR
Medical assistants use computers to manage billing and data applications. This course covers billing and coding processes and health information management. Using case studies, you’ll practice researching charts, completing insurance claims, and recording health and financial data in patient’s electronic medical records (EMR).
Externship
Vocational schools partner with hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices to provide off-campus clinical experiences. You’ll work with seasoned medical assistants in local facilities where you can learn through observation and practice your clinical skills. The goal is to facilitate an effective transition from the classroom to the workplace.
Certification Review with Career Development
Medical assistant programs are more than academic. They’re also career-focused, emphasizing the skills you need to climb the career ladder, beginning with certification. While certification isn’t required to work as a medical assistant, it gives you a competitive edge when applying for jobs and promotions. A complement to the career services graduates receive, topics include self-care, stress management, job hunting, and how to get ahead through networking.
Final Thoughts
A medical assistant program offers more than education; it’s a gateway to becoming a versatile and well-rounded professional. Broad-based training prepares you for increasingly responsible roles that meet your personal and professional goals. It’s the start of a dream come true.
Want to Learn More?
The Medical Assistant program at Hunter Business School prepares competent, entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains required for professional practice. The Medical Assistant program provides hands-on experience in a medical setting where you can foster professional relationships with actual patients. Medical Assistant students spend 160 hours in an externship in a natural medical environment, supervised and taught to gain valuable on-the-job training.
The Medical Assistant training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, 9355 – 113th St. N, #7709 Seminole, FL 33775, upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).
Contact us today to learn more about becoming a medical assistant in Nassau and Suffolk County.