Certified Medical Assistant

Medical assistant is a health care professional who is cross-trained in different areas of patient care and participates in a wide variety of clinical duties encompassing clinical, laboratory, and administrative procedures. As a medical assistant, your duties could include administering injections, taking blood pressure readings, rooming patients, drawing blood, performing electrocardiograms, insurance coding, maintaining medical records, and scheduling patients.

The student will be trained in a full range of administrative and clinical duties. The administrative area will prepare students to use medical computer scheduling software and bill insurances using the correct diagnostic codes. The courses also include anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, medical insurance processing and coding, medical record keeping. The laboratory training will prepare students to run EKG diagnostic tests, perform venipuncture, capillary puncture, injections and to record patient vital signs, which include blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Medical assistant training will also include clinical internship in Kellogg Cancer Center at Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park Illinois.

Occupational Outlook
Medical assistants held nearly 350,000 jobs in 2002. Sixty percent were in physician’s offices, and about 15 percent in hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities. The other 25 percent were either in nursing homes, other health care facilities, or in offices of other health practitioners. The job outlook for medical assistants is excellent. The field is expected to grow much faster than average, which means an increase in 36% or more between 2003 and 2013. The health services industry is expected to expand because of technological advances in medicine and the aging population. Job prospects will be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, and particularly those with certification.

Salaries
These fields have a wage range between $10-$12 an hour to start and up to $16-$20 an hour for years of experience and responsibility or if certification acquired.

This program is approved by: IL Board of Education; National HealthCareer Association
This program prepares you for: Medical Assistant Certification Exam by NHA

Certified Medical Assistant Program
Total Duration: 661 clock hours
Prerequisites: Basic oral, written and conversational skills in English.
Course Fee: $5,649