10 Things You’ll Learn in Medical Assistant Programs

Jan 28, 2022

Researching medical assistant programs? The medical field is one of the most prestigious professions out there, and it’s also an industry that continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.6 million healthcare-related jobs will be added in the next eight years.

Highly-trained health care providers can improve patients’ lives, and helping people can be very rewarding. However, the road to becoming a physician is often long and expensive. Medical schools cost money and can take years to get through. Doctors usually have to pay back a lot of debt.

But you don’t have to be a doctor to work in the medical field.

Medical assisting allows passionate people to enjoy the satisfaction of helping others when they need it most. Although medical assistants are trained medical professionals, they also provide clerical services that support their co-workers.

Medical assistant training may not be as intense as other medical training, but it can offer you similar opportunities for career growth and satisfaction.

What Are Medical Assistants?

Medical assistants can form a vital foundation for an effective health care team. They carry out administrative and clinical tasks within a health care setting. They usually work with other medical staff while being supervised by a physician.

Some of the primary duties of medical assistants include:

  • Providing patient support and care.
  • Documenting patients’ vital signs and changes in medical conditions.
  • Taking and sending tissue and fluid samples for analysis.
  • Prepping exam rooms.
  • Aiding practitioners with patient care.
  • Preparing and administering medications.
  • Answering phone calls or emails.
  • Scheduling patient appointments.
  • Performing data entry tasks.
  • Checking patients in and discharging them.

Successful medical assistants are expected to:

  • Understand administrative and clinical methods.
  • Communicate effectively.
  • Have excellent attention to detail.
  • Be familiar with electronic filing systems.

Medical assistants can make an average of $37,000 a year. Depending on their education and experience, they can earn upwards of $40,000 a year.

What Are Medical Assistant Programs?

If you want to become a medical assistant, you must become certified by completing a medical program. These programs ensure that people are appropriately qualified to work as medical assistants. They consist of classes and lab work covering health care and office administration.

If you enroll in a medical assistant program, you can become proficient in the following ten subjects:

1. Anatomy and physiology

These two subjects are essential to a career in the medical field. Anatomy concerns the internal and external structures of the human body. Physiology is the study of the functions of those structures. Medical assistants need to know how the human body works and should be effectively treated.

2. Medical terminology 

You’ll have to know the correct terms and spell them accurately. Simple spelling mistakes can result in fatal errors, so precision is critical.

3. Pharmacology

The study of drugs, their origins, and their uses is a critical component of medical assistant programs. Medical assistants have to know the effects of different medications on the human body. Pharmacology training also includes calculating dosages and administering them in various ways.

4. Phlebotomy

Medical assistants will learn how to draw blood for analysis. They’ll also learn about the equipment used in drawing blood, plus safety techniques.

5. Basic surgical assisting

This subject covers the equipment and procedures required during surgery.

6. Patient care

You’ll learn how to perform first-aid, take patient vitals, document medical histories, and complete other tasks. You’ll also learn how to deal with a wide range of patients with different attitudes. Interpersonal communication is a crucial skill for medical assistants to have.

7. Office administration

 Treating patients is just one part of medical assisting. The other half consists of the clerical work that goes into managing a medical office. You’ll learn how to schedule appointments, manage data, and secure files.

8. Medical insurance

Most patients seeking medical care use some type of insurance. Medical assistants knowledgeable about insurance plans can better help patients and facilitate payments.

9. Billing and coding

Billing is the act of submitting a bill of rendered services to a patient or their insurance carrier. Coding involves assigning a number to a health care service so a provider or office can gain reimbursement.

10. How everything comes together

Medical assistant training includes hands-on classes to bring the theoretical into the physical. You’ll be able to practice everything you’ve learned in a supervised environment to gain the confidence you need to move into a real-world setting.

Become a Medical Assistant Today!

Traditional medical school programs can take years to get through and cost a small fortune. Medical assistant programs offered by schools like Chattanooga College are 18 months long and can be subsidized with financial aid. You’ll learn all you’ll need to succeed in the bustling medical field when you take the medical assistant courses we offer.