Explore a Career as a Clinical Medical Assistant

Learn what it takes to have a successful career as a clinical medical assistant in the exciting and high-demand world of healthcare.

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6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs
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Mid-America Technology Center

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Explore a Career as a Clinical Medical Assistant

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Course code: mst

Demand for medical assistants will grow 23 percent through 2024, so there's never been a better time to explore a career in healthcare! This online course will give you an overview of the job duties and scope of practice of clinical medical assistants. You will learn about the different types of medical records and how to enhance the overall patient experience. You will also get an introduction to charting patient complaints, creating progress notes, and collecting medical history.

What you will learn

  • Describe the job duties, skills, scope of practice, and values of a clinical medical assistant.
  • Explain the information contained in different types of medical records.
  • Recognize the importance of enhancing the patient experience.
  • Summarize the main functions and common diseases of the 12 body systems.
  • Explain the purpose of the chief complaint and identify the parts of a patient's medical history in a progress note.
  • Discuss the importance of vital signs, and name the equipment used when measuring vital signs.
  • Identify various methods, positions, and instruments used for examining a patient.
  • Explain the importance of hand-washing and personal protective equipment in asepsis and infection control.
  • List the basic guidelines for administering medications.
  • Recognize emergencies in the ambulatory medical setting.

How you will benefit

  • Learn if a career in healthcare is right for you and where you fit in
  • Open the door to new career opportunities and discover a fulfilling career path

How the course is taught

  • Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
  • 6 Weeks or 3 Months access
  • 24 course hours

In this lesson, you'll discover the attributes, qualities, and job description of a medical assistant such as effective communication, knowledge, skill, good health and hygiene, empathy, integrity, a positive attitude, and ethical behavior. You'll explore a medical assistant's employment opportunities, which include a variety of healthcare facilities such as urgent care, outpatient clinics, laboratories, nursing facilities, and more. The lesson will also discuss a medical assistant's expected ethical behavior, scope of practice, and compliance with healthcare laws, including HIPAA (privacy and security laws).

This lesson will take a closer look at the medical record and various medical documents and reports. Medical assistants are expected to document accurately and professionally in the medical record, so you will explore how the electronic signature works and why it's necessary on medical documents. The lesson will then discuss the electronic health record and the electronic medical record. You will also learn about progress notes and how they are the heart of the medical record.

In this lesson, you will learn about the various types of communications in the medical office and how to deal with difficult patients. The lesson will discuss how the patient experience can influence the patient's perception of the medical assistant, the office, and the care received. You'll examine professional attributes such as being responsible, ethical, team-oriented, and to possess strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. Today more than ever, employers are looking for employees with problem-solving skills and critical thinking capabilities.

In this lesson, you'll learn the definitions of EMR (electronic medical record) and EHR (electronic health record) and find out why the terms aren't synonymous. You'll also learn more about the financial features of practice management software.

In this lesson, you will learn about pathophysiology and explore the 12 major body systems. You'll learn about common diseases and injuries that affect the human body.

This lesson will give you a comprehensive look at how to room the patient, record a proper chief complaint (CC), and collect the medical history of the patient (current, past, family, and social history) as related to your role as a clinical medical assistant. You'll learn about charting and how it can affect patients' care.

This lesson will discuss the importance of vital signs and measurements, and the name of the equipment used. You'll examine the procedures used to take the vital signs and body measurements of patients, which include body temperature, blood pressure, pulse (heart rate), respiratory rate, as well as body measurements such as height and weight.

This lesson will introduce you to the physical examination, specialty exams and procedures, and the medical laboratory. You'll explore the methods, examination positions, instruments, and supplies used by doctors to examine the body and the medical assistant's role in preparing the patient for specialty exams. This lesson will also discuss the purposes of laboratory testing, the different types of medical laboratories, and their quality standards.

This lesson will discuss the steps in the infection cycle and about helpful and pathogenic (infectious) microorganisms. You will examine how to prevent transmission of infectious microorganisms and identify examples of personal protective equipment (PPE). The lesson will explain the importance of handwashing and the proper way to dispose of biohazard waste. Lastly, you will be introduced to the five areas of a microbiology lab.

In this lesson, you will learn about surgical asepsis and the different methods of sterilization such as autoclaving, chemical, gas, and dry heat. The lesson will discuss the importance of a surgical hand scrub in preventing healthcare-associated infections and how preparing the patient's skin with a prepping solution is a crucial step in preventing surgical site infections.

This lesson will focus on the basic guidelines for the administration of injections and noninjectable medications. You will also examine how to safely administer injectable medications by discussing the parts of a needle, the gauge, how to select the proper needle, and how to determine the volume of medication. You will also learn about the types of medication containers, injection techniques, and administration of oral and inhaled medications. Lastly, this lesson will cover types of medication errors, reporting an error, and preparing an incident report.

In this lesson, you'll explore emergencies in the medical office and first aid. The lesson will discuss the four types of shock and description and cause of each type. You will learn how to recognize symptoms of shock and the procedures on how to treat them immediately. You will also learn about diabetic emergencies, how to recognize the symptoms of insulin shock and diabetic ketoacidosis, and about administering insulin injections. Lastly, this lesson will discuss emergencies and administering first aid for patients with open wounds, burns, and musculoskeletal injuries.

Meggen Leigh Green

Meggen Leigh Green is registered nurse who previously worked as clinical medical assistant for over 10 years at a large pediatric group. As a medical assistant, Meggen worked as both a clinical supervisor and team leader, overseeing all clinical staff training, ongoing education, evaluations, vaccine inventory, and laboratory certifications. She holds a Medical Assisting degree and ASN RN degree from Ivy Tech.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.​

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.​

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.​

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.