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Online Career Colleges    » Health, Medical, and Nursing     » Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant Degree Programs

Online Medical Assistant

Looking for online accredited career colleges and universities offering Medical Assistant degrees. Each program from a Online Career College, a post-secondary for-profit institution, offers an education with an in-demand career field. As total higher education enrollment decreases, student enrollment in courses and degree programs at online colleges continues to rise. Today, millions of college students choose to take some or all of their courses online. Medical and Dental Assistants work in hospitals, doctors offices, dental offices and clinics to ensure the best care for patients.

Online Medical Assistant Degrees

Medical assisting: A rewarding career

Medical assistants enjoy an interesting profession and the opportunity to work in a wide range of environments. These health care professionals are responsible for many of the day-to-day office and clinical tasks necessary in a health care office.

Medical assistants typically work with physicians in offices and clinics, assuring the finest care for patients. Your specific job duties depend on your workplace and may vary depending on location, size and specialty. Basic clinical duties can include the following:

1. Taking medical histories
2. Collecting and preparing laboratory specimens
3. Preparing and administering medications as directed by a physician
4. Drawing blood
5. Taking electrocardiograms
6. Removing sutures and changing dressings

Office tasks may include answering phones, scheduling appointments or helping with billing.

Medical assistant training and job outlook

Medical assisting programs typically award a one-year certificate or diploma and a two-year associate degree and are most commonly offered at vocational schools and community colleges. The following types of courses may be in your program:

1. Anatomy
2. Medical terminology
3. Recordkeeping, accounting and insurance processing
4. Laboratory techniques, clinical and diagnostic procedures
5. Pharmaceutical principles

You may also study office practices, patient relations, medical law and ethics. Voluntary certification in medical assisting is available, and individuals who want to specialize in a certain area of medical assisting such as podiatry or ophthalmology can seek out speciality certification.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 34 percent between 2008 and 2018. The BLS reports teh mean annual salary for medical assistants in 2010 was $29,760.

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