Medical Assistant Training In Bakersfield
There are nearly 10 medical assistant programs in Bakersfield Ca to choose from. Some of them offer a Medical Assistant Certification. Others offer an medical assistant Associate’s degree. SJVC offers both medical assistant programs. The Associates degree takes longer to complete, but also puts new grads that much closer to a Bachelors degree if they choose to do so in the future. San Joaquin Valley College’s campus in Bakersfield is located on New Stine Road. In addition to the medical assisting programs, the Bakersfield campus of SJVC also offers programs in Veterinary Technology, Surgical Technology, Respiratory Therapy, Pharmacy Technology, Medical Office Administration, Dental Assisting, and Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
If you are not familiar with SJVC’S Medical assistant programs, here’s a quick run-down of the two programs, how long they take, and how much they cost:
Clinical Medical Assisting (CMA):
This medical assistant certificate program that takes 7 months to complete at San Joaquin Valley College. Through both classroom and clinical exposure, the student will receive the training needed to work in a wide array of medical settings. Although there is exposure to front office administrative skills, much of the training is on back office skills includes training that offers direct patient care thus allowing you to gain professional clinical skills.
Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting program (CAMA):
The 14 month clinical medical assistant program allows for students to advance in all the medical practices and procedures. This program allows for the student to gain significant front office experience, in addition to back office clinical work. At the end of the program, the student earns an Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree. If you are a student planning to gain versatility and flexibility in both front back-office medical skills, an Associates degree from San Joaquin Valley College prepares the student for further advancement in the healthcare field.
Before beginning the externship portion of the medical assistant program, students will need to have completed their health screening and immunizations. These costs are included in the program tuition.
Clinical Medical Assisting
Length of Program: 7 months
Degree Awarded: Certification
Tuition Amount: $15,950.00
Clinical & Administrative Medical Assisting
Length of Program: 14 months
Degree Awarded: Associates Degree
Tuition Amount: $30,750.00
SJVC Bakersfield Medical Assistant Program 661-834-0126 201 New Stine Rd Bakersfield, CA 93309
The Role of a Medical Assistant
If you’re in the market for a new job, or perhaps a career change, it’s possible that you may have considering the job of a medical assistant. In order to make an informed decision, it’s important that you understand exactly what does a medical assistant do.
Having a firm understanding of what a medical assistant does will help make sure you are picking the type of career that you will like. It’s important to take the time to make sure you choose a job you are sure you’ll like so that you don’t waste time and money on an education you may not end up using.
There are countries, like the United States, that are experiencing such a nursing shortage that there’s not enough medical staff to meet the needs of the population. Since there are so few nurses, more medical offices are relying on medical assistant to perform basic tasks.
What does a medical assistant do?
So, the next question would be, when performing basic tasks, what exactly does a medical assistant do? Some of the common tasks include taking blood pressure collecting crucial information like medical histories and. It can include completing certain tests like blood tests and ultrasounds. Often a medical assistant will perform dual roles. They’re the first contact with a patient but also perform a significant amount of clerical work.
In order to complete their tasks, medical assistants often are required to have the right training and/or certification. There are some who do not have formal education, but have received in-office training. However, in most cases, and with more strict state laws, additional training and certification is often required for becoming a medical assistant who will be working directly and in a hands-on capacity with the patients.
When considering what does a medical assistant does, it’s important to remember that if you would like a better salary, it’s worth the time and effort to go through the education process. Being a medical assistant can be an underpaid position and proper certification can increase the chances of getting a better wage. The medical assistant programs in Bakersfield Ca offer the education and externships needed to become properly certified. Changes to the system of medical assistants in some states require that they are accredited with a license by the American Association of Medical Assistants. Certified medical assistants are called CMAs.
Responsibility of medical assistants
Here’s a breakdown to help you understand better what does a medical assistant do. Medical assistants are responsible for a significant amount of clerical work including basic secretarial work, answering phones, greeting patients, making appointments, contacting insurance companies, electronic charting, ordering supplies, calling in or faxing prescriptions, converting charts , puling and filing patient charts.
A medical assistant also completes back office work and works directly with patients. Tasks include weighing patients, taking medical histories, taking blood pressure, escorting patients to rooms, assisting doctors with medical procedures, clarifying doctor’s instructions with a patient, giving injections or drawing blood and listing to current health issues or the reason for a patient’s visit to a doctor.