Medical Assistant Diploma and Degrees
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January 26th, 2010
What are my medical assistant degree options?
When considering a medical assistant degree it is encouraging for aspiring medical assistants to learn that a two-year associate’s degree represents the longest and most comprehensive route to the profession. More commonly students pursue either a certificate or a diploma as these shorter one-year programs satisfy all the requirements set forth by most state licensing bodies and national certifying agencies.
It is becoming standard for state licensing bodies, municipal and state level-governments, as well as employers to set minimum expectations for post-secondary education through
medical assistant schools. This hasn’t always been the case, as historically
this has been a completely unregulated profession. For a long time employers themselves were fully responsible for providing the training their hired medical assistants needed to perform the job. In today’s fast paced and highly litigious world of professional medicine, employers are becoming less and less willing to take the chance on bringing individuals into their organizations who haven’t demonstrated the discipline necessary to complete a one-year post secondary certificate or diploma program in medical assisting.
Today’s medical assistants are more knowledgeable of medicine and patient care, better trained in the skills of the job, and more experienced when they enter the profession. This is a win win situation as patients are assured the highest quality care, while employers can confidently delegate tasks knowing that their staff members hold either a medical assistant degree or at minimum a certificate.
What’s the benefit of medical assistant certificate?
Certificate programs and medical assistant diploma programs provide all the training most employers would expect from a medical assistant beginning work in entry-level positions. The cost benefit of a certificate is undeniable as these programs can often be completed for a total tuition cost of just over $1000.
Medical assistant programs at the certificate level also have the practical benefit of getting you out into the work force sooner. Although most programs last several months to a year, some can be completed in just several weeks. According to a recent publication by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, even the most basic certificate programs will include
medical assistant courses in anatomy, transcription, keyboarding, book keeping, medical terminology and accounting.
What’s the benefit of a medical assistant associate’s degree?
An associate’s level medical assistant degree is the pinnacle of scholastic achievement for those beginning medical assistant careers. Although graduates always have the ability to go on to earn more advanced degrees in related subjects as they see fit, a two-year associate’s level medical assistant degree is typically the most comprehensive
medical assistant training available to prepare for the career. The stand out benefit of an associate’s level medical assistant degree program is that it will almost always include an internship component. Some students choose to pursue an associate’s degree over a certificate for this reason alone. The clinical exposure and real world experience proves itself extremely valuable to anybody interested in clinical work as a medical assistant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, associate’s level medical assistant degree programs will include training in patient relations, medical law and ethics, clinical and diagnostic procedure, pharmaceutical principles, as well as training in administering medicine.
