Medical Assistant Schools

If you enjoy helping people while performing administrative and clinical duties in medical setting, the join medical assistant schools and develop for yourself a career that you'll forever be proud of. Medical Assistants have a wide variety of duties. They not only assist physicians in examining and treating patients but also ensure that the clinical, laboratory and clerical procedures work smoothly. Medical assistants work in hospitals, physician’s offices, clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers.

A medical assistant school offers medical assistant training and certification program which ranges from 9 to 12 months. There are day as well as evening and night classes offered at different schools but the laboratory classes in clinical medical assisting are usually offered during the day only.

Training program is comprehensive and includes both classroom as well as practical learning. Students, during the training acquire the entry level skills to assist physicians in administrative and clinical duties. The entry level jobs of a medical assistant includes preparing the patient for treatment or examination, communicating with nurses and physicians, maintaining medical records and performing basic laboratory tests.

Medical Assistant Courses

Typically, the length of certificate or diploma in a medical assistant school is one year. Associate degree is a two year program. One can later specialize in a specific field of medicine. Two common areas of specialization are Ophthalmic medical assistants and Podiatric medical assistants.

Ophthalmologists provide eye care and ophthalmic medical assistants instruct patients to insert, remove and care for contact lenses and apply eye dressings. Assistants may also administer eye medications but only under the supervision of the physician. Podiatric medical assistants help making castings of feet, develop x-rays and assist podiatrists in surgery.

Fee structure for medical assistants program depends on whether you choose one year certificate or diploma program or two year associate degree program. Recent trends in medical industry show that jobs for medical assistants are increasing and the will continue to increase with the advancements in technology. If you are currently pursuing some job and wish to undertake medical assistant training but do not have time to attend the regular classes then you have another option. Some medical assistant schools and colleges offer distance learning programs. Online programs give you the advantage of completing the course as per your convenience.

Duties of medical assistants differs depending on the size and medical practice of the physician. Generally, the duties range from answering phones, filling insurance papers, recording medical histories, scheduling patient appointments, assisting doctors or physicians in examination and treatment of patients.

Salaries for medical assistants varies according to the experience and skill level of the candidates. Challenging career opportunities for medical assistants are available in public health facilities, hospitals, clinics, laboratories, medical schools, research institutions, nursing homes, private practices and other medical settings.

Georgia Medical Institute is one of many schools offering Medical Assistant training. Please check with them directly for accurate information.