Medical Assistant

Online Medical Assistant Associate Degree Programs

Students who take up the course of medical assistants have the job responsibilities of performing administrative duties like maintaining appointments, update details of the patients, billing and communicating with the patients and other doctors. They are also involved in collecting pathological reports; elucidate treatment procedures and medications to patients. They are also responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the examination rooms, equipment and waiting rooms. They are even trained to perform simple procedures like minor surgery, injections, venipuncture, assisting in laboratory operations, taking X-Rays, and electrocardiograms.

Various online courses are available with prepare students to be effective medical assistants. The curriculum includes areas like anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, along with training in typing, transcription, record keeping, accounting, and insurance processing. The timeframe for an online associate degree in medical assistant is about two years. The profession of medical assistant is considered to be one of the fastest growing occupations as per the findings U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. It also indicates that as much as 6 out of 10 medical assistants work with private physicians.

The different kinds of online medical assistant degrees available:

• A.A.S. in Medical Assisting
• A.A.S. in Medical Office Management
• Medical Assisting, AS (Online)
• Office Management AAS Degree – Medical Office Emphasis
• Medical Administrative Assistant – Distance Education
• Associate Degree in Medical Assistant Technology
• Associate Degree in Pharmacy Assistant Technology
• Associate of Science – Medical Assisting

Leading schools providing an online medical assistant degree

• Kaplan University
• Penn Foster Schools
• Keiser University eCampus Online
• Rasmussen College
• Central Florida College – Distance Education
• University of Northwestern Ohio
• A.T. Still University
• Strayer University
• Western Career College

Career Opportunity for students with an online degree in medical assistant

The build a career in medical assistant, students need to build certain skills related to the medical field. They can them get suitable job placements in work places like hospital, nursing home, medical group practice or home health agencies. The various topics covered through this degree are law and ethics in medicine, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical coding, confidentiality of health information, and clinical procedures theory.

There has been tremendous growth in this area which has resulted in the increase in demand for medical assistants across various areas in the medical industry. The U.S. Department of Labor indicate that the new job openings for medical assistants will grow 52% which amounts to more than 201,000 new job openings in the next ten years.

After completion of basic qualification in the area of medical assistant, they can specialize in specific areas like podiatry, ophthalmology, sports medicine or rehabilitation therapy. Employers usually prefer medical assistants who have got the basic training in the field. At times, some medical assistant courses also involve certain mount of externship so that students get on-the-job training and acquire practical knowledge in the area.

With experience and more educational qualifications, medical assistant can get better job responsibilities of office manager or clinical supervisor. They can also choose from varied career options like teaching medical assisting, nursing, laboratory technician, social work, public health or health services management. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is found that over 60% of medical assistants work in physician offices whereas 14% of medical assistants work in hospitals.

Average salary for medical assistants

Medical assistants in the United States are expected to earn a median salary of about $27,885. The salary is however, dependent on the type and size of the employer, the type of industry as well as location of employment. Based of findings of the American Association of Medical Assistants, the average salary earned by a certified medical assistant (CMA) is $27,951, with experienced CMAs getting a salary of more than $38,000 annually.

Pros and cons of earning an online medical assistant degree

An online course offers flexibility for students to pursue a course in medical assistant along with working either full time or part time. They can complete the course much faster. They can also pursue other interests. Apart from this, they can be in touch with the faculty members as and when they require. However, online courses do have certain disadvantages like lack of enough hands-on experience along with real-life experience.