Medical assistants are聽multi-skilled healthcare聽professionals who assist doctors in clinics and medical offices.
A medical assistant鈥檚 duties vary, depending on the office or clinic. Most of their tasks involve not only clinical work but administrative tasks as well.
Medical assistants may manage the front desk and check you in for your appointment, or they may be the person who assists you to the room and meets with you first at the appointment.
Clinical Duties:
- Recording symptoms and updating medical histories
- Helping patients be prepared for their doctor visit
- Collecting and performing lab tests including urinalysis, throat swabs, breathing tests, phlebotomy, etc.
- Assisting doctors during physical exams
- Patient education such as discussing prescription and dietary changes with patients
- Administering medications
- Handling prescription refill requests
- Removing stitches or changing wound dressings
- Performing聽electrocardiograms (heart test) and other medical tests
Administrative Duties:
- Answering phones and scheduling appointments
- Greeting patients and their families
- Filing and updating medical records
- Coding and completing insurance forms and other insurance related activities
- Making arrangements for a follow-up visits, hospital admission or other diagnostic test
- Billing, bookkeeping, and general office mail
- Pre-authorizations and referrals
Benefits
- Part-time evening (15 months) or full-time day (9 months) options 鈥 a short commitment that can open doors of opportunity!
- You can work in a聽variety聽of settings 鈥 you can go to a specialty office or general office, and emergency rooms.
- This position leads to so many other opportunities 鈥 setting a strong foundation for many other careers in healthcare.
- CAAHEP accredited program. This rigorous course will enable students to sit for the national certification exam through the American Association of Medical Assistants with a designation of CMA(AAMA).
A medical assistant plays an important role in streamlining important tasks to assist the patient and allowing the medical office to run efficiently.
Expected job growth is 22% over the next 10 years. Average salary for a Certified Medical Assistant in Massachusetts averages $35,000 – $40,000.
Now accepting applications for the January 2022 part-time evening program and the full-time day program option starting in September 2022.
