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Term Effective:
Fall 1992
The requirements for this program of study are effective beginning the semester shown above. If you began working on this program before the effective semester, you may not be affected by the changes. Consult with the program contact person or the department chair to determine your eligibility to complete the program under previous requirements.
Description:
The Medical Assisting: Administrative and Clinical Career Certificate prepares students for work in physicians' offices, medical clinics, hospital outpatient clinics, health agencies, and educational institutions. Students completing the program will be eligible to take the California Examination for Certified Medical Assistants. Track 1 provides training in both administrative (front office) and clinical (back office) skills.
The duties of a medical assistant vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the physician's specialty. In small practices, medical assistants are usually generalists, handling both clerical and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager or physician. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area under the supervision of department administrators.
Medical assistants perform many clerical duties. They answer telephones, greet patients, update and file patient medical records, complete insurance forms, handle correspondence, schedule appointments, arrange hospital admissions and laboratory services, and handle billing and bookkeeping.
Clinical duties vary according to state law. They may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, explaining treatment procedures to clients, preparing clients for examinations, and assisting during examinations. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens and perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They instruct clients about medication and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare clients for x-rays, take EKG's, remove sutures and change dressings. They may also arrange examining room instruments and equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean.
Medical Assistants with both administrative and clinical skills are increasingly utilized because of their dual skills. Job titles include: medical assistant, administrative assistant, clinical medical assistant, hospital unit secretary, insurance claims process, medical transcriptionist, or research assistant.
The employment outlook is very good for Medical Assistants. Click here for supplemental information about the program, and contact the Health Sciences Department for more information.
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