PACE NONCREDIT COURSE:
Medical Assistant
Areas of Study
Course Type
Overview
Hours: 583 | CEUs: 58.3
Our online medical assistant program is developed by industry professionals with decades of real-world experience. An over-achieving curriculum ensures that you’re the best of the best. It thoroughly trains you on both routine patient care and clinical office procedures. But it’s way more than just training. Thanks to our vast network of partners, you’ll get 100 hours worth of experience working in a clinical setting—empowering you with the knowledge to earn the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA), Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), and Certified EKG Technician (CET), Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA), Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) credentials. Remember that clinical opportunities vary, and we work with a vast network of healthcare organizations to find a good fit. But we can’t guarantee placement—or employment—in your area.
Program Timeline
The medical assistant program includes lots of rich, visual course materials. You’ll learn intuitively through videos and images, training games, and highly interactive instructional simulations. The content is designed to help you “get it” quickly. Complete your online training, then pair your newfound knowledge with priceless experience through clinical training. It’ll give you the needed practice with patient care, phlebotomy, EKG, and medical office administration.
- 483 hours of online training
- Complete in as little as 12 months
- 100 hours of clinical externship
Key Concepts
Body Basics
Get familiar with essential anatomy, foundational healthcare science, and medical terminology.
Patient Care
Learn how to obtain vital signs and perform a variety of skills to assist with patient care.
Medical Procedures
See how to perform phlebotomy and EKG reading, label and process specimens, and assist physicians with procedures.
Office Administration
Understand medical-record management, insurance reimbursements, and how to successfully operate patient waiting rooms.
Curriculum
Our comprehensive curriculum is divided into 22 bite-size courses. So before you know it, you’ll know it all.
Program Orientation: Medical Assistant
- Identify the elements, expectations, and requirements of the program.
- Navigate the program using the pages, menus, and buttons provided.
- Use the program tools, including the study planner, gradebook, and completion report. Be able to contact CareerStep by phone, email, forums, chat rooms, and social media.
- Identify and use program-specific resources.
Medical Assistant Career Introduction
- Summarize the medical assisting profession.
- Summarize licensure, accreditation, certification, and registration for medical assistants.
HealthCare Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science
- Summarize the medical assisting profession.
- Translate medical terminology using abbreviations, word building, and important terms.
- Explain how nutrition knowledge relates to health and disease.
- Identify the role psychology plays in dealing with patients and their behavior.
Anatomy and Physiology
- Identify the structures, locations, and functions of major body systems and the organs that comprise them.
- Explain how the organs of the major body systems interact and maintain homeostasis.
General Patient Care
- Summarize the pharmacology basics needed by a medical assistant
- Outline the tasks required to prepare the examination room and the patient for examination.
Pharmacology Basics
- Identify the classifications of drugs.
- Review indications, side effects, and adverse reactions of various classifications of drugs.
- Interpret accepted abbreviations used in reference to medications.
Infection Control
- Review the causes and diagnostic methods of various infectious and communicable diseases.
- Explore the protective measures required to prevent infection.
Testing and Laboratory Procedures
- Identify how specimens are collected and handled.
- Explore procedures and processes used in obtaining blood and urine samples.
- Outline the standard components of vision and hearing screening tests.
- Review common techniques and processes frequently used in medical laboratories.
Externship Readiness Skills
- Explore CareerStep Community career resources.
- Develop effective time management skills.
- Enhance your creative and critical thinking.
- Integrate critical and creative thinking skills into your life.
- Learn physical and emotional coping techniques to deal with stress.
- Explore essential ingredients of the communication process.
- Acquire methods to maximize verbal, nonverbal, and written communication.
- Relate the importance of professional image to career success.
- Learn strategies to write a powerful resume.
- Identify key elements of successful interviews.
- Relate the importance of good study habits to your personal success.
- Identify traits related to self-motivation and self-esteem.
- Incorporate a positive and professional attitude in dealing with others.
- Understand that failures are important learning tools.
Patient Care Coordination and Education
- Review how to administer and coordinate general patient care according to professional best practices.
- Explore the role and responsibilities in administering patient care.
- Explore the role and responsibilities in facilitating patient education.
Medical Administrative Assistant
- Describe the differences between common healthcare delivery models.
- Describe the types of services typically offered in medical offices,
- including general and specialty services.
- Define ancillary services and alternative therapies.
Communication and Customer Service in the Healthcare Office
- Identify the various types and styles of communication used in a healthcare office.
- Review how verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills contribute to patient experience and outcome in a health care office.
Electronic Medical Records
- Demonstrate how patient records are used and regulated
- Complete tasks required for scheduling a patient
Clinical information reporting
- Revenue cycle and financial reporting
Medical Laws and Ethics
- Describe common legal issues related to prescriptions and medication administration.
- Identify key legal and regulatory aspects of the healthcare environment.
- Analyze key ethical and legal aspects of the medical profession.
- Summarize common legal issues related to medical documentation.
Phlebotomy
- Identify equipment and supplies used to collect, store, and process blood samples.
- Describe common phlebotomy techniques.
- List correct steps in the process of taking blood.
- Explain patient care before, during, and after blood collection.
- Describe how to prepare and handle a blood sample.
EKG and Cardiovascular
- Identify the basic anatomy of the heart.
- List the steps needed to ensure proper functioning of ECG/EKG equipment (calibration, standardization).
- List the equipment and supplies needed to perform an ECG/EKG procedure.
Career Success in Healthcare
- Define “professionalism” and “success” in your own terms
- Differentiate between long-, medium-, and short-range goals
- Assess and develop your time management skills
Medical Assistant Final Exam
- Identify the steps needed to be eligible for and effectively prepare for and access the final exam.
- Identify the format, restrictions, and policies of final exams, including scoring, retakes, allowed resources, and time limits.
Fundamentals of HIPAA
- Describe HIPAA basics.
- Understand the HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rules.
- Describe the HITECH Act.
- Explain regulations for business associates.
- Summarize HIPAA documentation and training.
Clinical Externship Experience
- Earn hours and experience that lead directly to certification.
- Initiating Your Externship
- Create your profile in the Learner Placement Portal.
- Review the externship preparation resources.
- Explore CareerStep Community career resources.
- Understand the benefits of an externship.
- Access externship participation eligibility requirements.
- Recognize the externship site placement process and considerations.
- Program Completion: Medical Assistant
- Prepare to take the next steps after program completion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are clinical hours included in my training?
Clinical hours are an essential component of your training—particularly as you work towards certification and potential employment. They give you a chance to test your current skill level and put all your new knowledge to work in real-world settings. That’s why we work with a vast network of healthcare organizations to provide these hands-on learning experiences. Please keep in mind that while clinical hours are included as part of your course, placement is based on a number of factors—including geography and availability—so we can’t guarantee that you’ll find placement in your area.
What will I do as a medical assistant?
A lot. You’ll support doctors, nurses, and other health professionals in medical settings, performing both clinical and administrative tasks. In other words, you’ll play a vital role in keeping healthcare facilities running smoothly. You’ll be hands-on with everything from wound care, phlebotomy, and EKGs to greeting and scheduling patients, managing medical records, and processing health insurance payments.
How much can I make as a medical assistant?
You can earn a great income with job security and plenty of upward mobility. Salaries vary by employer, location, and experience, but according to Burning Glass, the median salary for medical assistants $29,070-$48,170 per year.* And, considering the nature of the industry, medical assistant jobs often include healthcare benefits.
What’s the job market like?
Outstanding! In fact, healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries and employment opportunities are abundant. Burning Glass estimates that the demand for medical assistants will increase 29% in the next 10 years. There were over 220,000 medical assistant jobs posted in just the last 12 months!*
Do I have to be certified to work?
Yes and no. While California, Connecticut, Montana, New Jersey, and Washington have certification requirements, most states don’t require medical assistant certification. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employers prefer to hire certified medical assistants. Certification gives you a competitive advantage and maximizes your earning potential.
Choose your specialty and get certified. (The more the merrier.)
- Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
- Certified Medical Administrative Assistant(CMAA)
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)*
- Certified EKG Technician (CET)*
- Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS)
*Requires some additional hands-on work.
30 venipunctures + 10 capillary sticks for CPT
10 EKGs on “real people” for CET
