Medical Assisting

The scope of practice for a MOA is for administrative duties. Administrative, front-office duties, includes greeting patients, scheduling appointments, oversight and organizing patients’ medical records, completing insurance forms, arranging for hospital admissions and referral services, answering phones, handling correspondence, maintaining electronic medical records, billing and bookkeeping.

Advanced Medical Assistant (MA) AM81 requires an additional two semesters of course work after completing the Medical Office Assistant (FF61) courses. The advanced course work provides students with the skills and knowledge to perform both clinical procedures and administrative tasks in a medical practice setting.

The Advanced Medical Assisting provides a curriculum that integrates hands-on practice for obtaining patient’s medical histories, vital signs, anthropometric measurements, preparing a sterile field, performing electrocardiograph testing, administering medications including injections, obtaining lab specimens and diagnostic testing, drawing blood for testing, recording medical information, preparing patients for examinations, and assisting physicians during a patient’s examination.

Physician practices hire Medical Assistants that complete the program and pass a certification test. After become a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), the job market in all practice areas is excellent. The earnings depend upon the pay scale offered at the practice. After gaining practice experience as a Medical Assistant, many students find that their core knowledge can help them advance into other medical fields such as Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) or the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program.