Medical Assistant Program
Medical Assistant programs prepare you for jobs in demand right now and provide a stepping-stone to many allied healthcare careers.
Medical assistants are critical to the smooth running of doctors’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical facilities. They carry out a variety of administrative and clinical tasks under the supervision of a physician or nurse practitioner. Welcome patients, schedule appointments, handle medical records, bookkeeping, insurance billing, and coding are just a few of the administrative responsibilities. Recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examinations, aiding the physician during examinations, collecting blood and other lab specimens, and providing drugs as ordered are all examples of clinical duties.
Available in:
Length of Study
Career Level
Delivery Type
Duties
- Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Record patients’ medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians’ instructions to patients.
- Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
- Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
- Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
- Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
- Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
- Greet and log in patients arriving at the office or clinic.
- Perform general office duties, such as answering telephones, taking dictation, or completing insurance forms.
- Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician.
- Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
- Change dressings on wounds.
- Schedule appointments for patients.
- Inventory and order medical, lab, or office supplies or equipment.
- Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests or admission.
- Operate x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), or other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
- Set up medical laboratory equipment.
Career Opportunities
Day in the Life
Job Outlook
California has a projected growth of 25% between 2018-2028, median annual salary $39,520