Medical Assisting

Overview

Medical assisting programs prepare people to work in medical offices and clinics under the supervision of nurses or doctors.

Medical assisting programs include topics such as:

Interviewing patients
Medical terminology
Recordkeeping
Anatomy and physiology
Laboratory testing
Medical insurance

Concentrations

Medical assistants also have the opportunity to specialize. For example, a medical assistant might be interested in eye medicine. By taking additional courses, students can prepare to work as an ophthalmic medical assistant.

Schools

Many career and technical schools as well as many community colleges offer certificate and associate degree programs in medical assisting. A certificate program usually takes a year of full-time study. An associate degree program usually takes two years of full-time study.

A few colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in medical assisting. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Medical Assistants

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Program Admission

Proprietary schools, colleges, and universities all offer this program. If you want to study at a proprietary school, you can prepare for this program of study by completing your high school diploma or getting a GED. If you want to study at a college or university, you can prepare for this program by taking the following courses: four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Accounting
Anatomy and Physiology
Business and Applied English
Business Computer Applications
Business Management
Business Math
Community Health
General Computer Applications
Health Education
Healthcare Occupations
Healthcare Sciences Work Experience
Introduction to Business
Keyboarding
Medical and Clerical Assisting
Psychology
Safety and First Aid

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

In this program, you typically take courses such as the following:

Administration of Medications
Basic Microbiology
Business Mathematics
Community Health
Composition
Computer Application in the Medical Office
First Aid and CPR
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Interpersonal Communication
Medical Assisting Terminology
Medical Coding
Medical Front Office Procedures
Medical Insurance
Medical Laboratory Procedures
Medical Law and Ethics
Medical Office Clinical Procedures
Medical Transcription
Office Accounting
Pathology
Pharmacology
Psychology
Records Management

Some programs include clinical practicums or externships. These are real-life, hands-on opportunities to apply your classroom learning to a medical office or clinic.

Things to Know

Licensing is not necessary for medical assistants. Some states do require that medical assistants take tests to demonstrate their ability to do certain medical tasks. Also, many employers value medical assisting certification. Students who complete this program may qualify to take a national certification exam.