Medical Assisting and Technology Degrees

What is a Medical Assisting and Technology Degree?

Would you like to be a part of one of the fastest growing professional fields? A field of work that will only continue to grow? The medical field has tons of different options, all of which will have room for everyone to participate in with a medical degree. A degree in medical assisting can help you on your way into this rapidly growing field, plus you may have the opportunity to make people healthier everyday with a degree in medical assisting.

Medical assistants perform job tasks that range from administrative work to clinical duties, including:

• Greeting patients
• Filing paperwork and filling out insurance forms
• Answering phones and scheduling appointments
• Assisting doctors during exams
• Taking patient's vital signs
• Removing stitches
• Preparing for procedures

 

How can I get a Medical Assisting and Technology Degree?

You have several options to choose from to become a medical assistant.  You can earn your medical assistant certificate or you can earn your Associate's degree.  There are advantages to both routes.  Earning a certificate in medical assisting can be completed at a community college and the program often lasts 9 months to 1 year.  Since the program is considerably shorter than most degree programs, the cost of earning a certificate is often much less than that of a degree.  However, earning an Associate's degree takes about 2 years to complete due to the general education and liberal arts classes that are included in the degree program.  The advantages to earning your Associate's degree in medical assisting include the ability to enroll in a Bachelor's degree program, being a well-rounded job candidate, and having the option to earn more money as a degree holder. 

A medical assistant is crucial to a doctor's work. A degree in medical assisting will train you to work under a physician or any health practitioner. Your work as a medical assistant will vary. In an office setting, a medical assistant will handle administrative tasks and clinical duties. Some of these tasks would include: checking patients in and out, setting up appointments, answering phone calls, filling out forms and keeping track of medical records.

In a hospital setting, a medical assistant will have further medical tasks. A medical assistant may record vital signs, assist a health practitioner, prepare a patient for medical procedures and explain personal care, and draw blood. If a patient has come out of surgery, a medical assistant will take care of patients after-surgery care such as changing bandages and removing sutures.

Medical assistants work in a hospital or office setting and typically work a 40 hour week in a clean and sanitary setting. A degree in medical assisting also allows you the opportunity to work part-time or weekends if that is what you prefer. Medical assistants work with people constantly throughout their day so communication and interpersonal skills are necessary.

Work with people every day and help them to make the most of their lives with a degree in medical assisting!