Online Medical Assistant Degree Programs & Courses

Earning a medical assistant degree online means that you will be able to assist your patients and handle both administrative and clinical duties in a physician's or health practitioner's office.

Medical assistant duties include both clinical and office work. The amount of work and tasks assigned to a medical assistant depend on the type and size of the medical practice. Basic duties for medical office assistants typically include administrative tasks such as filling out insurance forms, updating patient records, scheduling appointments, and greeting patients.

Clinical medical assistant duties may include taking medical histories, recording vital signs, drawing blood, performing routine laboratory procedures or changing dressings. Medical assistants may specialize in areas such as podiatry, optometry, dentistry, or pediatrics.

Medical Assistants Training

While there are no formal training requirements, some medical assistants receive on-the-job training, while more and more medical assistants complete one or two-year medical assistant programs after high school. Many vocational schools and community and career colleges offer online and classroom medical assistant programs.

Online Medical Assistant Schools and Colleges

Virginia College offers the following online medical assistant courses and degrees:

• Associate degree in Medical Assistant
• Associate degree in Medical Office Administration
• Associate degree in Medical Office Management
• Certificate in Medical Assistant
• Certificate in Medical Billing and Coding
• Diploma in Medical Assistant
• Diploma in Medical Billing and Coding

Westwood College offers the following online medical assistant degree:

• Associate degree in Medical Assisting

Keiser University - offers the following medical assistant degree online:

• Associate of Science degree in Medical Assisting

Kaplan University offers the following medical assistant online course:

• AAS in Medical Assisting

Penn Foster offers the following online medical assistant courses and programs::

• Certificate in Medical Coding and Billing
• Certificate in Medical Information Management
• Certificate in Medical Terminology
• Certificate in Medical Transcriptionist
• Diploma program in Medical Coding and Billing
• Diploma program in Medical Office Assistant
• Diploma program in Dental Assistant
• Diploma program in Medical Transcriptionist

Medical Assistant Program Education

A one-year certificate or diploma program will prepare you for an entry-level job in the field. With a two-year associate-level medical assistant degree you will not only learn the basic skills for the profession, you will also take general education courses for a well-rounded education. An associate degree also opens the door for going on for a bachelor's degree.

Medical assistant courses cover clinical and administrative topics such as anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, transcription, and insurance processing. In your training you will also learn laboratory techniques, diagnostic procedures, principles of pharmacology, and first aid.

Certification is not required to work in the field of medical assisting; it may, however, lead to more job opportunities, career advancement, and better pay. The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the Association of Medical Technologists (AMT) are two of several organizations that award certification to medical assistants.

Medical Assistant Career - Jobs, Prospects and Salaries

More than half of medical assistants work in doctors' offices. Others work for hospitals, laboratories, dentists, and insurance companies. Job prospects are excellent, especially for medical assistants with formal training or experience and certification.

As with most professions, salaries for medical assistants depend on training, experience, location, and employer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the mean annual wage across the country for medical assistants in May 2008 was $29,060. Medical assistants who work in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals had the highest annual mean wage: $43,390.

If you like to help people and want an interesting career with a bright future, consider a medical assistant program or degree. Medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest growing of all occupations over the 2008-18 decade.

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