Medical Assistant Training
Medical assistant training is the process of getting educated as a medical assistant. Programs in medical assisting usually vary depending on the institution offering them, but they usually cover many of the same general subject areas. So to give you an advance sense of what you’re getting involved with when you enroll in a medical assistant training program, the following are some of the common subject areas found in many of these educational programs:
Anatomy and PhysiologyThese basic medical subject areas are always covered in medical assistant educational programs. It is necessary that a medical assistant has a basic knowledge of the human body with all its systems. Though a medical assistant will not usually be directly treating patients in the sense that a doctor would, they may perform various lab tests (such as say drawing blood) and also often need to explain medical procedures to patients, deal with medical records, administer medication, perform first aid, and a number of other tasks for which basic medical knowledge are helpful or necessary.
Medical TerminologyOften medical assistant curricula include a course on medical terminology. Standard medical terms are used throughout an average work day by a medical assistant as they transcribe medical records, explain procedures, call in medications to a pharmacy, do patient and insurance billing, or note the results of lab tests. These terms allow the many different medical facilities that may be involved in a patient’s care to communicate accurately and effectively. The medical assistant is responsible for much of the coordination and administrative interfacing of a variety of professionals as well as for their own patient related activities, so they must be familiar with terms in order to communicate effectively.
Medical Law and EthicsMedical assistant training almost always involves a course or several dealing with legal issues and professional ethics in the medical industry. This is required in order to insure that a medical assistant complies with existing laws and professional standards in the medical assistant industry.
Computer Applications and Administrative/Office SkillsA large part of the work of a medical assistant may take place in a medical office. Thus medical assistant training programs offer training dealing with the use of medical billing and medical records software, other types of business software, and ordinary office skills such as keyboard use, filing, scheduling and so on.
Clinical SkillsClinical skills such as certain simple medical testing, blood drawing (phlebotomy), specimen collection, cleaning and sterilization of equipment, and other related skills are all taught in courses of medical assistant instruction. This is the other large area (besides office/computer work) in which medical assistants work. Though nowhere near as highly qualified to deal medically with patients as nurses or other types of allied health personnel, they still perform some basic testing/lab tasks and need to be well familiar with the techniques and equipment used.
PharmacologyMedical assistants are also often required to deal with pharmacology to a certain extent. They may, for instance, administer medication or handle the prescription process after a doctor or pharmacist has actually made the prescription.
Technological SkillsUse of technologies such as imaging technologies like ultrasound, radiography, and echocardiography may be dealt with to some degree in medical assistant training programs. Though fields in their own right, they may be handled to some degree or other by a medical assistant, so there may be instruction in the use of these technologies and techniques.
ExternshipsExternships are the clinical fieldwork portions of medical assistant training. They consist of on practical work in the field in labs, physician offices, or hospitals. The medical assistant school arranges for these practical portions to be completed by a student so that they begin to master the skills required in addition to the simple background knowledge.
A Word about AccreditationIn order to make sure that the medical assistant training you’re receiving is as complete as possible and meets industry standards, you should try to find programs that are nationally accredited, preferably by organizations such as the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAHEEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
These are some of the areas you may encounter as you progress through your medical assistant training program. Basic courses in math, writing/English, and biology completed at the high school or college level are good preparatory foundational instruction for this type of study. Getting a good grasp of basic concepts then becomes an advantage when studying more complex or involved material.
About Author
Ceete Sheekels is a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and a Certified Evaluation & Management Coder (CEMC) through the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). She currently works as a Certified Professional Coder Instructor (CPC-I). Her years in the healthcare industry, CPC instructor certification training and her Bachelors in English and Literary arts makes her an ideal source for well written and well informed medical billing and coding specialist articles. If you plan on entering into the medical billing and coding field, you may wish to visit her website at AboutMedicalBillingAndCoding.Org so you can obtain the information needed to get you started on the right track in a high demand field. http://www.aboutmedicalbillingandcoding.org/
