Medical Assisting Degree

Do you like caring for people?  Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others on a daily basis?  Are you looking for a rewarding career that is in high demand?  If you are a people person, and want to make a difference in the lives of others, a Medical Assisting career may be for you!

Medical Assistants aid doctors and other health care providers in the examination and treatment of patients in addition to performing administrative duties.  They work with patients and staff and often times handle multiple tasks at once.  And the US Bureau of Labor projected Medical Assistants to be one of the fastest growing jobs from 2008 through 2018.

Arizona College offers programs designed to provide the education and experience to become a Medical Assistant.  We provide hands on laboratory training and offer accelerated morning and evening classes to help you make your dream a reality.

We invite you to visit our campus to learn more about us and our program.  Contact us today to start on the path to fulfilling your dream of becoming a Medical Assistant.  Change Lives, Choose Arizona College!

Advantages of An Associates Degree

The Medical Assisting Associates Degree program gives Arizona College students more exposure to laboratory experiences, biology courses, and legal aspects of health care.  The Medical Assisting Associates Degree also includes Management and Human Resources classes for additional preparation for students who are interested in those subjects and careers.

Responsibilities

Medical Assistants work with patients and perform a variety of front office and back office dues.  Patient responsibilities may include:

• checking vital signs
• obtaining medical histories
• preparing patients for examination
• performing numerous basic laboratory tests
• giving injections
• applying bandages
• recording electrocardiograms
• cleaning and sterilizing instruments

Office responsibilities may include
• answering the telephone
• recording and filing patient data
• checking patients in and out of their appointments
• completing insurance forms
• arranging outside services
• keeping the books of the practice as well as billing and collections

Bureau of Labor Statistics Information

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Medical Assistants held approximated 523,260 jobs as of May, 2010.  The BLS projects Medical Assistant employment to grow faster than average, increasing by 34% from 2008 to 2018 and projecting 647,500 jobs by 2018.   For more info about Medical Assisting Careers, visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website.  The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code for Medical Assistants is 31-9092.

Arizona College Program Details

The Medical Assisting Associates Degree program is six quarters.  Each quarter is ten weeks divided into two five-week sessions.  After the on-campus portion of the program, each student completes an off-campus five-week (200 hours is required) clinical externship in the last session of the program.  Including the externship, the entire program requires approximately sixty weeks.

Certification Information

Certification for Medical Assisting is not required.  However, we recommend our graduates become certified as a way to enhance their resume and as additional validation of the knowledge they have gained. Our graduates are eligible to be certified as a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) by American Medical Technologists and as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) by the American Association of Medical Assistants.