Medical Assistant Schools in Arizona
If you’re looking for a career that allows you to make a difference in the lives of others, while being able to earn a good living, you may want to consider attending medical assistant programs in AZ. As a medical assistant, you may be able to work with health care professionals in nursing homes, hospitals, and clinics. A medical assisting degree can teach you how to work at a front desk, how to process medical and insurance paperwork, and how to perform basic care for patients.
According to the Arizona Office of Employment and Population Statistics, there are many potential opportunities for those that want to become medical assistants. They maintain a list of in-demand jobs that they expect to grow through 2018. Medical assistants rank well on that list; it is the 21st fastest-growing job on the list.
Medical Assistant Education in Arizona
Earning your medical assisting degree is the first step to beginning a successful career in this field. You may learn how to complete many basic medical procedures, including vital signs, working in a medical laboratory, giving shots or injections, and preparing instruments for use by doctors and nurses. While you may begin by learning about the theory behind each procedure, you can plan on getting many hours of clinical experience in this degree program as well.
In addition to basic medical skills, you may learn about how to fulfill the office responsibilities required in this position. You may learn how to file patient data in accordance with state and federal laws, thoroughly fill out insurance forms, and take care of billing.
Medical assistant schools in AZ offer many courses to help you master these skills. Some of the courses you may take while completing your training include Clinical Procedures, Medication Administration, Emergencies in Medical Offices, Laboratory Testing, and Phlebotomy. Courses like Phlebotomy, Laboratory Testing, and Clinical Procedures rely heavily on practical experience. Most of your practical experience is contained in the practicum class of your last semester. In this class, you can get hands-on experience with real patients at a local nursing home or hospital.
After getting accepted to one or more medical assistant programs AZ has to offer, you can begin the process of applying for scholarships. Some scholarships are school-specific, but others are offered by government agencies or health care organizations. Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center awards scholarships to students in any health care field. You must volunteer at Dignity Health to be eligible for this position. Another option is the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation, which offers a variety of health care scholarships. You may also qualify for the Lloyd E. Burton Scholarship Award, which is awarded by the Arizona Public Health Association.
Learn More About Medical Assisting Programs in Your City
- – Phoenix
It’s impossible to miss the massive growth that has hit the healthcare industry in recent years. This growth has affected communities across the country, including many areas in the state of Arizona. If you’re looking for a way to get active in the medical industry of Arizona, you may find that medical assisting is an excellent option to consider.
Medical assistants are in high demand across the state, since they are a valuable addition to clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical settings. There are several ways you may become certified as a medical assistant, so you have the freedom to choose the program that fits your schedule and learning needs.
If you want to start working as quickly as possible, you may want to earn a diploma or certificate with just one year of training. If you want the option to pursue a Bachelor’s degree down the line, you may choose to earn an Associate’s degree over a period of two years.
Whether you’re considering a clinical assisting career or an administrative career path, you may discover that several personality traits make the transition to a healthcare career much easier. Flexibility is key in a healthcare career, since you must be able to stick to the task at hand while still making time for any emergency situations that come up. This trait is particularly important for medical assistants working in nursing homes and hospitals.
You should also have a strong dedication to patients’ privacy and independence. Patients deserve to be treated with the utmost respect, and if you can appreciate that, you may do quite well as a medical assistant. On top of these traits, you should be a fast, efficient worker. There’s always plenty to do in the world of healthcare, and finishing tasks in a timely manner may allow you to contribute more to your team.
Medical Assisting Classes in Arizona
- Medical Office Laboratory Procedures
- Medical Specialty Procedures
- Surgical Procedures
- Pathophysiology
If you decide to attend a conventional medical assistant training program, you may get exposure to administrative and clinical duties. This is a popular choice for students who aren’t exclusively devoted to one aspect of medical assisting, since it gives you the freedom to do both. Your curriculum may include clinical rotations at a local clinic or an internship in a medical office. Comparing clinical experience options may help you decide which program is a good fit for you.
Billing and Coding Programs in Arizona
- Procedure Coding
- Diagnosis Coding
- Electronic Health Records
- Medical Assisting Administrative Procedures
In many medical assistant programs, AZ students may choose to earn a degree in medical billing and coding. This administrative specialty requires in-depth knowledge of technology and an ability to keep up with current standards and security protocols. While practical experience may be optional at the school you attend, it’s still recommended that you go through an internship or practicum course to become more competent with health informatics technology.
Arizona Nurse Aide and Patient Care Tech Classes
- Safety and Emergency Procedures
- Laws and Regulations in Healthcare
- Cognitive Impairments
- General Patient Care
Students who want to work in clinical healthcare settings may choose to become certified nursing assistants or patient care technicians. Both of these career paths require nearly constant interaction with patients. These tend to be fairly physical roles, since you may transfer patients, help them ambulate, or assist them with personal cares. You may be able to complete a CNA program in a matter of weeks, while a patient care technician program may take slightly more time.
Medical Secretary and Administrative Med Assisting Programs in Arizona
- Healthcare Reimbursement
- Medical Office Systems
- Advanced Medical Billing and Coding
- Computing Skills
At many hospitals and clinics, the administrative assistant is the first person that patients encounter when they walk in the door. If you go into this career, you may have the opportunity to show patients a friendly face and make them feel comfortable in your place of employment. In this specialty, your training may cover customer service, patient privacy laws, facility scheduling, and facility management.
If a medical assisting career is in your future, it’s up to you to make it happen.
Get started now by checking out our list of medical assisting programs in Arizona and contacting the schools that interest you.
Medical Assisting Careers in Arizona
Upon completing your medical assistant training, AZ health care employers may have many open positions for you to consider. Between 2010 and 2020, O*Net expects job openings for medical assistants to increase by 40 percent.
Obtaining advanced education and receiving your med assistant certification may help you reach the experience level needed to earn a top salary in medical assisting.
The first step to entering this medical career is to get your education underway. You will want to request information from the med assisting schools in Arizona listed below to learn how. You can contact the schools directly from our site to get started today.
After attending a medical assistant school and earning your degree, certificate, or diploma, you may be ready to jumpstart your career.
There are numerous employment settings you may explore as a medical assistant. Hospitals are often the most fast-paced, requiring constant staffing of emergency rooms and specialized medical departments. Nursing homes are expanding quickly all over Arizona as the population continues to age. Clinics may provide preventive care or specialized care, so they often rely on medical assistants to keep everything running in a timely manner. Healthcare is, in fact, one of the largest industries in Arizona. Currently, healthcare accounts for 1 in 5 new positions in this state (AZ Central, 2017).
Job growth statistics in Arizona are often higher than statistics in surrounding states, making this a promising place for new and aspiring medical assistants. From 2014 through 2024, demand for medical assistants may increase 21% (O*Net, 2017). At the same time, job openings for medical records technicians may swell 22% throughout Arizona (O*Net, 2017). Nursing assistants are almost always in high demand in most care settings. By the year 2024, job openings for nursing assistants may jump 19% (O*Net, 2017). Through the year 2024, demand for medical secretaries is expected to increase 21% (O*Net, 2017).
Once you choose to start your career as a medical assistant, be ready to be flexible in your schedule. The need for healthcare doesn’t stop on nights, weekends, and holidays. You may be expected to work these shifts frequently, particularly if you are new and you have not yet earned seniority. By putting in the necessary hours and showing that you can work hard, you may work your way up and earn more prestigious shifts.
Listed below are all of the schools offering Medical Assistant programs in Arizona. As a rule, you should contact at least 3-5 schools during the course of your research, and ideally more. There are important differences between the programs in terms of cost, admissions requirements, and other characteristics, and, as with many things in life, the way to find the best Medical Assistant program for your needs is to spend some time shopping around.
Here Are The Medical Assistant Schools…
Salary numbers provided are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.