If you are eager to start working as a medical assistant (MA), you will need to successfully finish a medical assisting program during which you will become a well trained medical professional.
Then, you will be allowed to work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinics and your main job will be to assist patients, perform treatments, and administer medications.
Furthermore, you will be supposed to provide assistance to doctors and health care staff.
Our suggestion for future MAs is to attend a medical assisting training program offered by trade schools, as they will go through the classes and clinical portion which is needed to gain the appropriate knowledge, and skills.
You may have already got acquainted with possible topics, that you can learn during your medical assistant training programs such as office administration and patient care.
We will speak today about core classes which are obligatory due to the fact that they teach students how to perform the job duties of a medical assistant.
Page Navigation
Anatomy and Physiology
The first one on our list of important subjects is anatomy and physiology.
This course has to be taken by medical assistant students, as the human body’s systems are its main topic.
Anatomy is a subject that teaches MA students the parts of a human body, while physiology teaches them how the body systems work.
What students will learn through this course how, when, and why certain patient care, treatments, and procedures are obligatory, as well as how they will affect patients when applied.
Medical Terminology
When a medical terminology course is in question, students are taught medical terms which they will later on use when communicating about patients, treatments, medications, procedures, and medical conditions with physicians and other medical staff.
They have to be familiar with definitions and correct spellings of words used in health care.
If you are wondering what medical assistant students will learn during this course, we have to mention that they will be taught the correct spelling, because, in medical terminology, a difference in spelling by only a few letters makes the complete opposite meanings of words.
So, in the case of misspelling words, the risk of medical error is huge, and this can be harmful to patients.
What will also be learned during this course are common abbreviations used in health care, as well as prefix and suffix meanings, which can be helpful with understanding words that are not frequently used.
Pharmacology
When pharmacology is in question, students who enroll in a MA training program will be taught how medications and other drugs affect the human body, as well as which medications are commonly used.
Additionally, MA students who finish this course will know how to calculate medication dosages using equations or formulas, as well as techniques for administering medications – by mouth, transdermal patch, or through injection.
Phlebotomy
Another important course during the MA program is a phlebotomy course.
If they attend this course, students will finish the program with the knowledge and skills related to the blood draw.
The curriculum is designed so as to teach students about the blood vessels that are used to collect blood samples.
They will be taught about specific equipment that is used when drawing blood, as well as the proper techniques for preventing sample contamination.
Basic Surgical Assisting
Being that medical assistants can be found working with surgeons, they need to possess basic surgical assisting knowledge, which can be reached through this course.
MA students will learn about the equipment used during surgery and other procedures or treatments.
They will have to know the proper names for medical equipment so as to know what to give to a surgeon when he/she asks and how this equipment is used.
Besides the fact that they assist physicians during procedures and treatments, they must be familiar with the proper way to sanitize and store equipment.
Patient Care
You can find numerous medical assistants who work directly with patients, providing them with basic care and this is also taught during a medical assisting training program.
Students learn certain techniques for performing direct patient care and they are also shown how to do patient assessments, get vital signs, and gather a patient’s medical history.
During patient care courses, students get familiar with some common techniques for certain treatments, such as applying a bandage or splint, and they are provided instructions for working with difficult patients.
Clinical Courses
During the clinical time, students are given the opportunity to work with real patients and doctors.
It usually takes place in real health care settings where students are allowed to perform assessments, provide treatments, and administer medication, which is, of course, done under the supervision of medical professionals.
The main aim of this course is to provide them a chance to get experience and know what it is like to interact with patients, doctors, and other staff once they enter a healthcare facility.
Office Administration
This course teaches them various computer software that is used in health care, how to manage a patient and office schedule, as well as the significance of patient confidentiality.
