Medical Assistant - Iowa Western Community College

Medical Assistant from Iowa Western Community College is a Campus Associate Health Aide degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. Program Information Medical Assistants are multiskilled allied health professionals specifically trained to work in ambulatory care settings, such as physician's offices, clinics, and group practices. Medical Assistants perform administrative and clinical procedures. Duties of the pinmedical assistant vary from office to office, depending on office location, size, and specialty. They perform administrative duties; answer telephones, greet patients, update and file patient medical records, complete insurance forms, handle correspondence, schedule appointments, arrange for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handle billing and bookkeeping. Clinical duties include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination. Medical Assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens, perform basic laboratory tests, dispose of contaminated supplies and sterilize medical instruments. Employment Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 35 percent from 2006 to 2016. As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, there will be an increased need for all health care workers. Increasing use of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. Helping to drive job growth is the increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly medical assistants who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. In addition, medical assistants work primarily in outpatient settings, a rapidly growing sector of the health care industry. View more details on Iowa Western Community College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Health Aide courses.