Medical assistants are an essential and growing part of the American healthcare system. They’re trained to help doctors, nurses, and other clinicians as they provide care to patients and manage their practices.
If that sounds like an ideal career to you, you might be curious about what you would have to study to become a medical assistant.
While curriculum varies from one program to the next, you can expect nearly any medical assistant program to touch on these essential topics:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Healthcare systems
- Lab procedures
- Medical terminology
- Phlebotomy
- Venipuncture
Read on for everything you need to know about what’s typically included in a medical assistant curriculum.
Most Common Topics in a Medical Assistant Program Curriculum
Here at Stepful, our Online Medical Assistant Program covers everything you need to know to pass the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam offered by the NHA in just four months of online classes.
Stepful’s curriculum for medical assistants includes:
- Anatomy and physiology: In the first month of the program, you’ll gain an essential understanding of the functioning of the human body.
- Healthcare systems: Learn about how hospitals, clinics, and healthcare networks meet the needs of their patients, staff, and communities.
- Medical law: Understand the ethical and legal principles that should guide all of your interactions with patients.
- Medical terminology: Master the language doctors and insurers use to describe specific procedures, problems, and potential solutions.
- Patient care coordination: Learn how to communicate with outside clinicians to ensure continuity of care for patients.
Hands-On Learning in a Medical Assistant Program’s Curriculum
In addition to coursework, any worthwhile program will include hands-on learning to help you practice the skills you’ll need to be a good medical assistant.
At Stepful, you’ll get hands-on practice in the following areas with our at-home clinical kit:
- Lab procedures: Practice safe handling of lab equipment like syringes, vacutainer tubes, lancets, and sharps like needles.
- Phlebotomy and venipuncture: Venipuncture means exactly what it sounds like: puncturing a vein for the purpose of drawing blood, also called phlebotomy. With our venipuncture trainer arm, you’ll practice this essential skill safely in your own home.
- Taking vitals: You’ll learn how to take important measurements like blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature with tools like the simulation finger, stethoscope, and sphygmomanometer.
An Externship: A Common Final Step of Medical Assistant Curriculum
While not a formal requirement for becoming a medical assistant, an externship can provide you with an excellent opportunity to apply your learning and gain vital experience before your career begins.
At Stepful, medical assistant externships take place after passing your certification exam and before starting your first full-time job. With help from our staff and booking platform, you’ll secure a position at a local healthcare facility.
You’ll then work around 80 to 160 hours in total over the course of a few weeks or months, depending on whether you choose to work full- or part-time. Some externships can lead directly to full-time employment after you complete your hours.
How You Can Make Sure You’re Successful in Medical Assistant School
Now that you know what you’ll learn, let’s talk about how to ensure you make the most of your education:
- Attend all classes: This might be obvious, but you won’t learn everything you need to know to succeed as a medical assistant unless you attend your classes or, in the case of a self-paced program, complete your assignments.
- Take the time to personally meet your professors: If you’re attending classes in-person, you won’t have to go out of your way to establish relationships with your instructors. But if you’re in a remote program, don’t neglect the opportunities you have to make connections, whether that’s in live class sessions or remote office hours.
- Commit enough time to studying: Keep in mind that even in a program with scheduled classes, you’ll still need to set aside extra time to review your lessons and complete assignments.
- Seek help if needed: One of the many benefits of completing a training program rather than studying on your own is that help is always available, as long as you’re prepared to ask for it. Reach out to your instructors, program staff, or peer groups for support when you need it.
- Study with other students: Speaking of peer groups, forming study groups with fellow students can be a great way to make sure you stay on top of your assignments while also building relationships that could benefit you in your career.
- Stay organized: Like any educational program, medical assistant courses ask a lot of their students, from scheduled class times to assignments and exams. Keep track of these requirements, as well as your additional responsibilities, as best you can to avoid having anything fall through the cracks.
