MEDICAL ASSISTANT

What is a Medical Assistant?*

Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually do many different kinds of tasks, handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area, under the supervision of department administrators.

The Typical duties of a MEDICAL ASSISTANT are:*

• Update and file patients’ medical records, fill out insurance forms
• Arrange for hospital admissions and laboratory services
• Answering telephones, greeting patients, handling correspondence
• Scheduling appointments, and handling billing and bookkeeping
• Taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients
• Preparing patients for examinations, and assisting physicians during examinations

Northcoast Offers:

• A 10-month (40-week) diploma program
• Includes a 180-hour Externship
• Convenient Class schedules are available for day and evening students.
• National Association of Health Professionals Certifications offered on campus
• Eligibile for 5 Nationally Registered Certified Examinations
• Hands-on training in our State-of-the-art laboratory
• Financial Aid for those who qualify

The Medical Assistant Program is designed to provide the students with the knowledge and hands-on skills to perform competently and professionally in a variety of entry-level medical positions. The students will receive training in front-office skills (record management, ICD-9 billing and coding, CPT insurance, patient charts) and back-office skills (clinical skills relating to a wide array of direct patient care situations). Students will receive a strong background in Phlebotomy the first quarter that they are in the Medical Assistant Program. Students will be trained by medical health professionals who have had appropriate and direct experience working in the health-care field and are approved by the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools. It is the strong belief of Northcoast Medical Training Academy that students require the proper academic portion of medical training curriculum in conjunction with an even blend of direct hands-on skill instruction and practice in the clinical and laboratory setting.

*information provided by www.bls.gov