What You'll Study in Medical Assistant Training Your medical assistant training program should prepare you to handle a wide variety of tasks in a hospital, clinic or private medical practice environment. Your daily tasks may range from taking vital signs to scheduling patient appointments, so you'll need medical assistant training that covers a spectrum of administrative tasks as well as patient care procedures. Medical assistants need to know everything from accounting to pharmacology, so a well rounded administrative and clinical education is necessary. You'll also get plenty of real-world practice during your externship in a hospital or doctor's office. Medical assistant training courses include: - Clinical and diagnostic procedures
- First aid
- Human anatomy
- Keyboarding and computer applications
- Laboratory techniques
- Medical billing and insurance coding
- Medical law and ethics
- Medical terminology
- Medication administration
- Office practices
- Patient relations
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Record-keeping and accounting
 Medical Assistant Training: Time to Completion A typical medical assistant training program, in which you'll earn a certificate or diploma, generally takes 9 months to 1 year to complete. Associate's degree medical assistant training programs last 2 years and provide other general education curriculum, which can give you a great foundation for the future if you decide to go further in your education or career. Read more about medical assisting degrees and choose which one fits you best. School Accreditation Regardless of where you complete your medical assistant training, make sure your school is accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies if you want medical assistant certification: - Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
Read more about why attending an accredited medical assistant school is important to your career. Related Reading:  |
