What does it take to become a Medical Assistant?
The field of Medical Assisting is more popular than ever and you can be a part of it with a degree from Florida Technical College. In about two years, depending on whether you can go to school full time or need to work around your current job, you can earn an associate degree in medical assisting and become a medical assistant. You will get the experience you need to find a great job and be ready to pass the test for becoming a registered medical assistant.
Medical assistants do work that is rewarding while also earning a good living. As a medical assistant you may work in a doctor’s office, a hospital, a clinic, or other medical settings doing real, hands-on work that helps patients. So what does it take to get there? Florida Technical College’s Medical Assistant program includes academic classwork and on-the-job training:
- Basic Anatomy and Physiology. To get you started on the path to becoming a medical assistant you will start with coursework related to the human body. In these classes you will learn about the systems of the body and get to understand the foundational information for medicine and health care.
- Medical Terminology. If you’ve ever been to the hospital or watched a medical TV drama, you have heard the lingo doctors and nurses use that sounds like another language. You will get to learn this secret language in your medical assisting coursework.
- Medical Law and Ethics. This coursework will familiarize you with the laws and ethics governing all medical workers. You will get training in how to be sensitive and compassionate when working with people who are scared or in pain.
- Pharmacology. In your pharmacology coursework you will learn the basic principles of using medications to treat patients. You will learn about treatments, side effects, and how to educate patients about taking their medications.
- Health Care Information Processing. Medical assistants work with patients, but they also do specialized medical office work. This includes scheduling, filing, transcribing, and billing.
- Clinical and Lab Procedures. This is the meat of the job of medical assisting and the fun part. You will learn about actual procedures that you will be doing for patients on the job, from running EKGs to performing pulmonary function tests, to assisting with minor surgeries.
- Hands-On Experience. As you earn your degree you won’t just be learning procedures in a classroom. You also get to work in real medical settings and will earn at least 160 hours of practical, real-world experience. This truly prepares you to find placement with a great job once you have completed your degree.
The work it takes to earn your degree in medical assisting and to become a medical assistant is challenging, but also fun. Expect to learn new facts and skills and to begin working in real settings to practice procedures. Medical assisting is a great career, and you can get there. With financial aid options and flexible class schedules, you can earn your Medical Assisting degree from Florida Technical College and start a new and rewarding career.