Medical Assistant Schools in Colorado

In the state of Colorado, medical assistants are an important part of the health care system. While doctors and nurses provide higher-level services, medical assistants are often responsible for keeping appointments running smoothly, ensuring that patients are comfortable, and acting as a go-between for doctors and patients. This career choice may allow you to make a big difference in your community, and can be very rewarding both personally and professionally.

As health insurance becomes more affordable and accessible for Colorado’s residents, the demand for medical assistants may increase. According to the Summit Daily, public health insurance in this state now offers lower rates and better coverage. This is expected to lead to a higher number of adults and patients that seek out care in Colorado.

To handle the new influx of patients, local medical offices and clinics may step up their hiring of medical assistants. This is particularly important for veterans; the Tri-City Herald notes that veterans report an eight-month wait at local VA clinics. As these clinics strive to improve the veteran experience, medical assistants may be used to fill the gaps in care, and may help prevent negative patient outcomes that result from prolonged wait times.

Medical Assistant Education in Colorado

If you’re looking for an exciting healthcare career that may pave the way for future opportunities in this industry, becoming a medical assistant could be a great choice for you. Medical assistants play an important role in facilities all over Colorado. They provide daily routine care to patients, communicate with doctors and nurses, and ensure that documentation is accurate.

The best part: you may be able to start working as a medical assistant much quicker than you could get started in a different healthcare career. At most medical assistant schools in Colorado, you can earn a diploma or certificate in one year. Associate’s degree programs generally include two years of full-time study. Within the field of medical assisting, there are several specialized options you may want to explore.

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You must complete your education before you can work as a medical assistant, since doctors and office supervisors will expect you to be proficient in the exam room and behind the desk. You should plan on spending at least one or two years in school to complete your Med Assistant education. You may graduate in about one year if you complete a diploma or certificate. If you choose instead to complete an Associate’s degree, you may spend about two years in school.

Learn More About Medical Assisting Programs in Your City

• Colorado Springs
• Denver

The classes you take as a medical assisting student are designed to give you the background knowledge and practical skills you need to work in a clinic, hospital, or nursing home. Administrative courses include Office Management, Computer Applications, and Communication in Health Care. Clinical courses may include Emergency Care Procedures, Medication Administration, Surgical Skills, and Phlebotomy.

You may spend lots of time in a clinical setting while completing this degree. You may be required to complete over 100 hours of clinical work before you graduate. It’s crucial to work hard and start building connections during your clinical work, as one of your clinical experiences may lead to a job offer.
Some programs in Colorado are designed to prepare students for licensure as a medical assistant. This is an optional process that goes through the American Association of Medical Assistants. Your school must be accredited and you must have the appropriate amount of experience and training before you can take the Certified Medical Assistant exam.

There are quite a few scholarship programs and organizations in Colorado that award money to medical assisting students. The Colorado Rural Health Center offers scholarships and loan repayment options to health care students. The Health Profession Scholarship is available through the Central Colorado AHEC. The Colorado Trust, a health equity foundation, offers scholarships to students in different health care degrees.

Medical Assisting Classes in Colorado

Of course, a general medical assistant program is a very popular and in-demand choice. This is a flexible degree program that may give you the skills you need to work in administrative or clinical settings. The administrative training you get in a medical assisting program can prepare you for front desk and office work.

The clinical hours you spend working with patients may help you become confident working with doctors and nurses in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics. Since hands-on experience is mandatory in most programs, online study isn’t generally an option. You should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time at clinical sites in your community.

Course Requirements in Medical Assisting

• Medical Insurance Procedures and Applications
• Pathophysiology
• Computerized Medical Records Systems
• Anatomy and Physiology of Body Structures

Billing and Coding Programs in Colorado

You may feel that a clinical career isn’t the best use of your skills, or perhaps you’d rather interact with patients on a more limited basis. If so, no worries! There are many administrative medical assistant programs that require an eye for detail and a strong understanding of technology.

For example, consider the field of billing and coding. Billing is one of the most important departments in any medical facility; this department keeps money flowing into a clinic, allowing it to continue offering services. Coding is the first step of this process. When you learn coding, you should be able to use the proper codes for every type of injury or illness that patients have when they come to your clinic. You also use your coding skills to keep track of the services they receive. This information is sent to the insurance company, which is how your facility gets paid.

Clearly, this is a fairly technical field, so you need at least one or two years of training to get stared.

Class Options in Billing and Coding Programs

• Advanced Coding Applications
• Diagnosis Coding Systems
• Computer Applications in Healthcare
• Pharmacology for Health Information Professionals

Colorado Nurse Aide and Patient Care Tech Classes

You may enter a medical assistant school looking for a clinical career that gives you the chance to work directly with patients. If patient care is your top priority in a healthcare career, you could be a great fit for nurse aide or patient care technician programs.

One of the advantages of these programs is that they tend to be the shortest options on this list. Certified nursing assistant programs can generally be finished in less than two months, and you may become a patient care technician with just one semester of work. Clearly, this option requires a considerable amount of clinical experience, so you may spend most of your time at a local hospital or assisted living facility.

Nurse Aide Classes

• Professionalism in Healthcare
• Safe Transfers and Ambulation
• Medication Administration
• Dietary Needs of Patients

Medical Secretary and Administrative Med Assisting Programs in Colorado

Consider becoming a medical secretary or administrative medical assistant if you thrive in an office setting. Medical secretaries keep the daily operations of a facility running smoothly and on schedule. You may still get to spend a fair amount of time with patients in this role, although not in a clinical setting. Instead, you get to greet patients as they arrive, take down their information, and pass their information along to the attending doctor or practitioner.

Required Medical Secretary Courses

• Document Processing and Formatting
• Electronic Medical Records
• Database Management
• Medical Law and Ethics

Are you ready to find out how you can use your skills to start a medical assisting career?

Make your move now by requesting information from medical assisting programs in Colorado.

Medical Assisting Careers in Colorado

The next step in your career depends on which type of school you attend and how much of a role you play in clinical care. If you plan on working in a clinical setting as a medical assistant, you may apply for certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants.

Certified nursing assistants are listed on the state’s nurse aide registry, so you must also pass a test before starting in this role. However, it’s likely that you won’t need to become certified before working as an administrative medical assistant or billing and coding clerk. Your education may give you what you need to apply for entry-level positions at local facilities.

In general, the job outlook for medical assisting professionals is positive across the country. Demand for medical professionals is growing exceptionally quickly in Colorado. Between 2014 and 2024, job openings for medical assistants are expected to increase 35% (O*Net, 2017). O*Net anticipates a 32% boost in job openings for medical records technicians by the year 2024 (2017). Demand for nursing assistants may swell 30% through 2024, while job openings for medical secretaries may see an impressive 45% boost by 2024 (O*Net, 2017).

There are numerous benefits that may come with starting a healthcare career. This is one of the largest industries in Colorado, and in fact, it has seen significant increase in payroll growth in recent months (Gazette, 2017).

The field of healthcare is full of opportunities.

Find out which careers suit you and which training programs are available in your area! Check out our list of schools and reach out to those near you.

Listed below are all of the schools offering Medical Assistant programs in Colorado. 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…