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Medical Assistants Handle Patient Care from Phlebotomy to Empathy

A Medical Assistant is vital in the day-to-day work of most health care facilities such as doctors’ offices, immediate care facilities, nursing homes, clinics, and hospitals. Medical Assistants perform both hands-on patient care (such as taking blood pressure and drawing blood) as well as taking a patient’s medical history. Medical Assistants also handle administrative and clerical duties, including answering the phone and scheduling appointments.

As a student in the Medical Assisting associate degree program at American National University, you will participate in clinical laboratory classes where you can apply the knowledge you have learned in the classroom and build real-world skills today’s employers are looking for. You will also participate in a mandatory externship, which offers further opportunities to apply learned skills and competencies. Our hands-on medical assistant training will give you the experience and confidence to succeed in one of the fastest-growing occupations¹, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition to serving as a strong foundation for pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Management, this associate’s degree program is designed to give you the skills and techniques needed for employment as a medical assistant or phlebotomist in a physician’s or dental office or in a wide variety of healthcare facilities.

Progressive Education Path – Medical Programs

American National University promotes a progressive learning format, so as you earn a your associate’s degree you can immediately use your training to advance your career as you continue your education in high–demand fields at the bachelor’s degree level – areas such as Health Care Management or Business Administration–Management.

Your Learning Experience in the Medical Assisting Program

Your coursework includes hands-on medical assisting training to develop the skills you need:

• Medical procedures training to cover areas such as taking patients’ vital signs, collecting laboratory specimens, performing routine tests such as electrocardiography (EKG) and administering therapeutic injections and vaccinations.
• You will also complete a foundation set of courses in anatomy, pharmacology, healthcare law and ethics, and learn how to handle administrative and clerical duties.
• A clinical externship of 160 hours of real-world work experience to include caring for patients one-on-one, performing medical procedures, gathering patient information and helping healthcare facilities stay organized.

Graduates of the medical assisting program are eligible to sit for nationally administered certifying examinations and earn the designations of Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and/or Registered Medical Assistant (RMA).

¹Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Assistants, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm (visited April 4th, 2018). Much faster than average job growth projected through 2026.

Accredited Medical Assistant Program

The Medical Assisting Program offered at the Salem, VA campus and its in–residence locations are accredited† by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) on recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board. The address and phone number for CAAHEP is: 25400 US Highway 19 North., Suite 158, Clearwater, FL 33763; 727–210–2350.

Administrative Medical Assisting Associate Program

We now offer an administrative medical assisting associate program that is 100% online.