Program Overview
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Course Length: ~9 months
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Credits: 34
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Total Hours: 800
- Gain the skills needed to work alongside healthcare teams as a capable medical assistant
- Fast-track your career and help improve patient outcomes
What is a Medical Assistant?
A medical assistant works alongside physicians, nurses and others in healthcare teams, typically in outpatient settings such as clinics and medical offices. A medical assistant tends to both clinical and administrative tasks that increase quality of patient care and improve office efficiency.
What Does a Medical Assistant Do?
The specific duties of a medical assistant vary by practice type, specialty and applicable state and local laws. Generally, however, a medical assistant serves as a liaison between a doctor and their patients. They help receive these patients, answer their questions, ensure they’re comfortable and perform a range of clinical duties.
Here are just some of the common tasks that a medical assistant might perform:
Medical assistant clinical duties:
- Prepare patients for examinations
- Take patients’ medical histories
- Go over treatment procedures with patients
- Assist physicians or nurses during exams
- Collect/prepare lab specimens
- Perform basic lab tests
- Facilitate prescription refills
- Inform patients about medications
- Remove sutures
- Change dressings
Read: Alumni Spotlight: Amanda Torres, Medical Assistant Graduate
Medical assistant clerical duties:
- Welcome and sign in patients
- Answer phones
- Schedule patient appointments
- File patient records and ensure they’re current
- Fill out insurance forms
- Handle billing
- Navigate different computer programs and applications
Pima Medical Institute Medical Assistant Program Description
The objective of the program is to develop in students the personal traits and professional skills needed to perform as competent entry-level medical assistants. The program provides students with knowledge of anatomy and physiology, routine laboratory procedures and patient care procedures commonly performed in medical offices. Pima Medical Institute prepares its students to begin their careers upon earning their medical assistant certificate.
What Will I Learn With This Training?
Those who’ve completed the Pima Medical Medical Assistant training program are prepared and qualified to perform a number of tasks — including but not limited to:
- Help patients feel at ease
- Correctly and efficiently interpret physicians’ instructions
- Take medical histories and record vital signs
- Collect and prepare laboratory specimens
- Perform basic laboratory tests on-premises
- Instruct patients about medications and special diets
- Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician
- Authorize drug refills as directed
- Draw blood and give injections
- Prepare patients for x-rays
- Take electrocardiograms
- Remove sutures and change dressings
Pima Medical Institute Medical Assistant Program Requirements
How long is the Pima Medical Medical Assistant program?
The length of our Medical Assistant program is approximately 9 months.
Curriculum: What classes do I need to take to become a medical assistant?
Here are several courses you can expect to take during the Medical Assistant program:
- Examination Techniques
- Clinical Aspects of Coding and Billing
- Surgical Procedures
- Medical Office Laboratory Procedures
Where Can I Take a Medical Assistant Training Class Near Me?
Arizona
California
Colorado
What Career Opportunities do Medical Assistants Have?
Medical assistants’ career opportunities are diverse, as their skill sets and training equip them to handle a wide range of responsibilities in a number of different settings. Medical assistants can find jobs in institutions like:
- Physicians’ offices
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Outpatient medical facilities
Other career opportunities for medical assistants include administrative support occupations, educating future medical assistants and various other office management roles.
Learn More: 5 Medical Assistant Career Facts You Should Know
Job Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 23% from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. The growth of the aging baby-boom population will continue to increase the demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As a result, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, enabling physicians to see more patients.*
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Assistants, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm (visited May 11, 2020).
Start Your Education Here.
Pima Medical Institute’s renowned instructors are both academically and professionally qualified offering years of relevant, hands-on experience to share with students, creating real-world scenarios during your courses in our medical assistant labs.