Medical Assisting Program

The medical field is a promising field with many exciting and rewarding job opportunities. Not to mention, it’s an in-demand field with high job security, as medical services will always be a vital part of our society. You can become a part of this continually evolving field when you enroll in the Medical Assisting Associate Degree Program offered by New York City’s ASA College. We offer this program at our Brooklyn and Manhattan locations, making it accessible for people across the city. This sixteen-month degree will prepare you and make you able to assist in medical offices, hospitals, nursing homes, and other environments daily activities like examination, testing, and other different activities. Please reach out to us today for additional information about this program.

What Is a Medical Assistant?

A medical assistant is a healthcare professional that assists in numerous capacities in the clinic and hospital settings. You’ll work directly with patients to prepare them for their visit with the doctor and help them throughout every patient visit. This position acts as an integral part of a healthcare team, taking on many responsibilities so that the doctors and nurses have the support they need to provide top-notch care for patients. You’ll wear many hats and complete tasks that include taking medical histories and recording vital signs.

Five Reasons to Become a Medical Assistant

If you’ve always been interested in a medical field career but aren’t sure how to get started, medical assisting could be a significant first step in your career. While a medical assistant’s job can be a rewarding long-term role, it’s also an excellent stepping stone to other healthcare jobs. As a medical assistant, you’ll play a vital role as a  team member and gain just as much from the position as put into it. It’s a great career choice for the following reasons:

• Personal Fulfillment: As a medical assistant, every day will bring new challenges and learning opportunities. You’ll get to learn the ins and outs of the medical field and feel accomplished each day knowing you’ve helped to provide care for patients.
• Quick Entrance into the Workforce: Medical assistant programs can often be completed in two years, allowing you to enter the workforce and begin your career quickly. It is much faster than many other professions. You can get your feet wet sooner and work as a medical assistant as you pursue another degree if you choose to do so.
• Ample Job Opportunities: Healthcare jobs are always in demand, which means you shouldn’t have trouble finding a medical assistant position. Not to mention, these positions are available nearly everywhere, so if you relocate, it won’t be difficult to land another job.
• Flexible Schedule: Depending on which medical setting you choose to work in, you’ll have the opportunity for a flexible schedule to suit your lifestyle. You may also choose to work part-time if you are a parent or pursuing another degree.
• Opportunities to Advance: As mentioned previously, medical assisting is a significant first step into the healthcare world. It will allow you to see how the industry works and help you realize which area you want to pursue further. You may know you want to become a nurse, or perhaps you want to advance to be the office manager. Either way, your job as a medical assistant can help you get there.

The Many Roles of a Medical Assistant

As a medical assistant, you’ll wear many hats and fulfill several responsibilities within the medical office. The role is a unique blend of clinical and administrative duties, which means your work will never lack variety. This makes medical assisting an excellent career for those who can adapt quickly and prefer to have a job where no two days are the same. During your time in our program, you’ll learn all the skills you need to succeed in your position, ensuring you feel confident to enter the workforce. Some of the duties you may be asked to complete daily include:

• Greet patients
• Enter patient info using chart software
• Basic accounting and billing responsibilities
• Handle patient insurance
• Record patient medical history
• Prep and administer medications
• Answer patient questions and explain treatments
• Collect lab specimens
• Take EKG tests
• Draw blood
• Assist doctor in examinations

How Is a Medical Assistant Different from a Physician Assistant?

The roles of a medical assistant and physician assistant are often confused by people outside of the medical community. This is likely because they both have the word “assistant” in the title. However, these two positions are very different and require different levels of education. As a medical assistant, you’ll focus on both primary patient care and administrative work. However, as a physician assistant, you’ll primarily focus on caring for and treating patients. A physician assistant has much more responsibility in the care of patients than a medical assistant does. These two positions are vastly different in the following ways:

• Job Duties: A medical assistant performs administrative tasks and completes some clinical duties to support the doctor, like taking medical histories and recording vital signs. A physician assistant practices medicine under a physician’s supervision, providing care and treatment for patients.
• Education: Most medical assistants complete an associate degree to receive training. Physician assistants must complete a much more rigorous education plan. It usually starts with a four-year bachelor’s degree followed by a two-year master’s degree, as well as clinical to get experience in a medical setting.
• Certification: If you want to become a certified medical assistant, you must graduate from an accredited medical assistant training program and pass a certifying exam. To become a physician assistant, you must become licensed by a state board to practice following your completion of school. To obtain a PA license, you will have to pass a national certifying exam

Program Overview

ASA College’s Medical Assisting Associate Degree Program is taught at both our Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. This program is designed for individuals who are considering a career in healthcare as a medical assistant or who are looking to start a career in the medical field with the intent of continuing their education in other medical disciplines. The curriculum for this program provides a robust educational foundation for future career growth. Once completed, our program will have prepared you to perform duties in both the front office and exam room of any healthcare facility. Our curriculum focuses on:

• Primary Medical Training: You’ll receive basic medical training to teach you more about the human body and how healthcare professionals treat it. This training will include medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, medical emergencies, microbiology, pharmacology, and psychology.
• Administrative Training: You’ll learn vital skills to help you complete tasks in a medical office setting. This will include patient scheduling, preparing medical reports and documents, medical billing and coding, medical law and ethics, taking medical histories, etc.
• Insurance Training: Insurance claims are a significant portion of the administrative duties in a medical setting. You’ll learn about insurance practices, requirements, regulations, and how to ensure proper reimbursement for services.

Program Accreditation

The Medical Assisting Associate Degree Program at ASA College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), upon recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). ASA College tarin the Medical Assisting program graduates to be proficient in performing both administrative and clinical duties. You can feel confident our program will prepare you for a career as a medical assistant. The goal of our program is to organize those who complete it to sit for the industry certification exams recommended by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The medical assisting program at ASA College has a job placement rate of 84.05% from the 2018 graduation year.

Career Outlook & Job Placement

ASA College is dedicated to helping our students succeed in their careers, and our programs are designed to help them do just that. Our medical assisting program has a job placement rate of 80.9% for the 2018 graduation year. Medical assisting has been listed as one of the Top 25 Fastest-Growing Occupations in the state of New York, with the Department of Labor estimating a 31% growth of the profession between 2010 and 2030. In addition to preparing you for a career as a medical assistant, our program also provides a solid educational foundation for students looking to make the transition to a bachelor’s degree program.