A medical assistant education program can be a foundational part of your healthcare career. Through classroom education and clinical experience, you can gain valuable skills and take the first steps towards your professional goals. If you’ve wondered about what the medical assistant education requirements are, you’ve come to the right place. This guide can help you learn more about the education you need and help you consider the best program for your career goals.
Learn more about Dorsey College’s medical assistant program!
The Medical assistant career is centered around helping people!
Before you start applying for medical assisting education programs, it’s important to know what the job entails. Medical assistants play a crucial role in helping healthcare facilities run smoothly. They often bridge the gap between patients and doctors or nurses. They do this by providing compassionate care and keeping things organized and running smoothly. It’s a job that requires empathy, integrity, and the ability to multitask.
The biggest part of working as a medical assistant involves helping people. If making a difference in the lives of others is important to you, this can be a good career option! By providing essential support to doctors, nurses, and patients, you can be a positive force in someone’s health journey.
How exactly does a medical assistant help people? On any given day, they might:
- Be directly involved in patient care, from taking vital signs to preparing patients for procedures
- Collect and prepare samples such as blood or urine samples for testing or analysis
- Clean and treat wounds
- Manage patient records
- Schedule appointments
- Manage inventory
- Handle patient billing
All of these tasks play a pivotal role in helping patients, whether in the exam room or behind the scenes. That’s why a dedication to helping others is an important part of working in this career. If you have this desire, you can likely learn the other skills and qualities required in a medical assisting education program.
Reasons you may want to pursue a Medical Assistant Education
- You want to be a healthcare worker!
- You want to advance your healthcare career!
- You can enter a healthcare career sooner than other careers!
- You can work in a variety of settings!
You Want to Be a Healthcare Worker
Medical assistants often serve on the frontlines of emergencies, pandemics, and other critical moments under the direction of doctors and other practitioners. As a healthcare worker, it’s important to learn to:
- Keep calm under pressure
- Manage multiple stressful situations
- Be detail-oriented
This is true no matter what role you pursue in the healthcare field, but it’s especially true for medical assistants because they operate in both clinical and administrative settings. This means they can do things like take a patient’s vital signs and keep track of patient paperwork, from medication doses to symptom tracking. You can see why it would be important not to make mistakes! Attention to detail and staying calm in stressful situations is an important requirement of a medical assistant. If you are the type to keep cool under pressure and can manage multiple things at once, a medical assistant education program is a great fit for you.
You Want to Advance Your Healthcare Career
If you’re already working in healthcare, a medical assisting education can provide opportunities for advancement. Many people who start out as CNAs or Home Health Aides choose to enroll in a medical assistant program and shift into a career with more responsibilities.
In addition, a medical assistant education can be a great steppingstone into other healthcare careers. Many medical assistant program graduates go on to enroll in nursing or EMT education programs. The things they learn in their medical assisting program can stay with them throughout the rest of their education. The hands-on experience and knowledge you gain as a medical assistant can provide a strong foundation for further education and career advancement.
You Can Enter a Healthcare Career Sooner Than with Other Careers
Several healthcare careers take several years of school and require a big financial investment. Unlike some of these healthcare careers that require years of schooling, a medical assisting education program takes a relatively short amount of time. That makes it a great option for people who are ready to start working. If you have a family to provide for, or you want to start building your savings, a medical assistant education program can provide a solid starting point.
Requirements for working as a medical assistant vary by state, but in a general sense, you can graduate from your medical assistant education in one to two years. Once you graduate, you can start working and making a difference. This makes it a great option if you’re eager to start your career.
You can work in a variety of settings!
From a family practice to clinic, to a fast-paced emergency room, there are a variety of places you can work as a medical assistant. The flexibility in work settings is a big reason some people choose a medical assisting education program. After you graduate and pass any necessary certifications or additional education needed for your career path, you can work as a medical assistant in:
- Doctors’ offices
- Hospitals
- Outpatient clinics
- Specialty offices such as dermatology or pediatrics
- Urgent care centers
- Long-term care facilities such as assisted living or nursing homes
- Schools or universities
- Diagnostic labs
Are you unsure where you want to work as a medical assistant? Your education program can give you an introduction into what working in these different settings could be like. It’s important to consider what you want your daily routine to look like as a medical assistant. If you thrive under pressure and want a career where no two days are the same, an urgent care facility might be a good fit for you. If you prefer more structure and have a keen eye for detail and technology, a diagnostic lab may be a better fit. Take some time to consider your strengths as you pursue your medical assistant education. This will make it easier to know where to apply when you graduate!
What education is needed to become a medical assistant?
Completing some kind of training is usually required to work as a medical assistant. Typically, this means a postsecondary program such as a diploma, certificate or associate’s degree. In a medical assistant education program, you can expect to be exposed to topics such as:
- Anatomy & physiology
- Medical terminology
- Pharmacology
- Communication
Once you finish your medical assistant training requirements, you should be ready to take a certification exam. While certification is not required in all areas, many employers prefer it when they make hiring decisions. Gaining a medical assistant education and certification is your way to show employers you’ve put in the time and diligence necessary for success.
Pursue your medical assistant education at Dorsey College!
Are you ready to advance your medical career? Do you see yourself having a career of service to others? If you answered, “Yes!”, it may be time to consider the Medical Assistant training program at Dorsey College.
We offer a comprehensive medical assistant education geared to prepare you for real-life in the medical field. Through industry-current classes and a hands-on externship portion, you could receive the training needed for your medical career. Now is a great time to start your future! Enroll in the Dorsey College Medical Assistant education program today!
