Medical Assistant
Program Overview
Accreditation
“The Medical Assistant Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).”
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
9355 - 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org
Medical Assisting Education Review Board (maerb.org)
American Association of Medical Assistant
20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1575
Chicago, IL 60606
312-392-0155
www.maerb.org
Northwest Kansas Technical College students are satisfied with the education that they receive at the Northwest Kansas Technical College Medical Assisting Program. For the 2020 cohort, the Medical Assisting retention rate was 88.5% based on the most recent Annual Report Form submitted to the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) and the Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). According to the latest annual report, graduate and employer satisfaction was 100%.
OCCUPATIONAL RISKS
Medical Assisting is a profession with many rewards, as practitioners can perform both administrative and clinical services, filling several roles in a variety of healthcare environments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics clearly outlines that it is a growth field, with an anticipated 18% growth from 2020 to 2030.
Medical Assistants work directly with providers and patients, to provide healthcare and ensure patient safety. It is a position with a great deal of responsibility.
As with any healthcare position, certain occupational risks come into play with being a Medical Assistant, and those hazards include the following:
- Exposure to infectious diseases
- Sharps injuries
- Bloodborne pathogens and biological hazards
- Chemical and drug exposure
- Ergonomic hazards from lifting, sitting, and repetitive tasks
- Latex allergies
- Stress
At the same time, there are protections set up with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and those protections are particularly important within a healthcare environment. OSHA has a series of standards that protect the safety of healthcare workers and patients.
Accredited medical assisting programs are required to teach students about the hazards that they face on the job and the protocols that can be put into place to ensure a workplace culture that prioritizes safety.
The Medical Assistant program is designed to provide you with the necessary job skills and related technical information to work as an entry-level medical assistant in a medical facility. You learn to perform clerical functions such as scheduling and receiving patients, telephone etiquette, obtaining and maintaining patient data, completing insurance forms, and arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services.
The clinical functions you learn to perform include: taking and recording vital signs and patient histories; performing height and weight measurements for infants through adults; screening for visual acuity and color vision acuity; assisting with examinations, treatments, and office surgery; collecting specimens through venipuncture; and performing simple lab tests and electrocardiograms. You also learn about sterilization procedures, instruments and equipment, disposal procedures for contaminated supplies, patient preparation procedures for X-ray and laboratory examination, removing sutures, and performing basic first aid and Certified in BLS/AED.
Degree and Certificate Options
Associate of Applied Science
(or Technical Certificate)