Spend some time on the Internet doing thorough research, checking all the finer details, including cost, payment options, accreditation and curriculum. Find the one that best suits your personal needs and circumstances. There are many Medical Assistant programs in California that offer various funding opportunities for those who have financial problems, so they bear looking into if this is you. Three are scholarships, national medical assisting group awards, and private funding for students who meet specific eligibility requirements.

With Hollywood in the south and Silicon Valley in the north, California is still seen as the land of opportunity, and it draws people from all over the globe who want to chase their dreams. California is exciting, it provides a vast amount of training programs, plenty of job opportunities and the pay is excellent. There are around thirty schools that offer Medical Assistant programs in California, so there is no reason to delay making your dreams of becoming a Medical Assistant come true.

What Does A Medical Assistant Do?

Medical assistants are crucial to doctors who do not have the time to do all of the many tasks that go towards keeping a thriving practice going. They are vital to any practice because they keep the offices of physicians and other health care practitioners operating smoothly. As a medical assistant you will need to be able to multi-task and deal with patients, which means that you need to have excellent interpersonal skills.

Medical assistants perform various administrative and clinical tasks such as:

• Taking patient’s vital signs
• Recording medical histories
• Explaining treatment procedures to patients and their families
• Preparing examination rooms
• Explaining the health care provider’s instructions to patients
• Administering injections
• Help patients feel at ease
• Taking basic x-rays
• Scheduling appointments
• Processing insurance claims
• Ordering supplies
• Maintaining patient records

The number of group practices, medical clinics and other health care facilities in California is growing daily, and as medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States through the year 2020, it is a very good time to get some training via one of the Medical Assistant programs in California and start your career in the medical industry.

Medical Assistant Diploma

Attending one of the Medical Assistant programs in California will get you started in a career in the health care industry. Although there are various programs offered, it is always best to complete your studies at an established and accredited institution. These kinds of institutions generally offer not only academic learning by faculty members who have professional experience in their fields, but also include a hands-on component to their program.

Medical/Clinical Training

During this section of the course you will learn how to assist the physician with the following:

• Assisting with the physical examination of patients
• Assisting in performing minor surgical procedures
• Administering various injections
• Performing venipuncture, EKGs, and routine diagnostic and laboratory tests
• Preparing instruments and equipment in examining rooms
• Recording vital signs of patients

Most of this training will take place in special medical training laboratories which are designed to emulate real-world health care offices. You will experience working on real examination tables, and working with real lab testing machines and supplies, CPR and EKG equipment, and minor surgical instruments.

Medical Office Training

Computer technology is indispensable in today’s health care offices, and you will need to know how to use a computer to perform various administrative skills. Medical office training forms part of the Medical Assistant programs in California and will include the following subjects:

• Basic accounting procedures
• Correspondence preparation
• Insurance claims filing
• Medical information transcription
• Patient appointment scheduling and reception
• Patient data documentation and maintenance
• Word processing

These programs generally also offer a practicum wherein you can apply the knowledge, skills, and work habits you gained whilst on course, and before graduation. Practicums are generally organized by the school and take place in professional institutions.

Associate’s Degree In Medical Assisting

If you want to get a degree in medical assisting, there are Medical Assistant programs in California that offer an Associate’s degree, which will allow you to enter the exciting field of medical assisting at a higher salary and with more responsibility.

The curriculum for an Associate’s Degree program is as follows:

• Accounting
• Body Systems I, II & III
• Drug Fundamentals and Administration
• Electronic Health Records Management
• EKGs and Capillary Puncture
• Injections and Surgical Assisting
• Management Communications
• Medical Document Coding
• Medical Insurance Plans
• Medical Office Procedures
• Medical Terminology
• Phlebotomy and Urinalysis
• Principles of Pharmacology
• Various Computer and Internet courses

Upon completion of this course you will be qualified for employment in a clinic, medical office, hospital or insurance billing office. You will also be qualified to sit for the national certification test to become a Registered Medical Assistant.

Various Medical Assistant Programs In California

According to 2010 data collected by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assistants in California earn in excess of $15 per hour, and there are in excess of 1,000 job openings for medical assistants per year. No wonder there are so many schools offering Medical Assistant programs in California.

There are various Medical Assistant programs on offer, depending on the level of qualification you are seeking, and most of them run programs which are accredited by either the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

The following is an alphabetical list of 23 accredited programs offered in California:

American Career College

Campus Locations: Anaheim, Los Angeles, Ontario
Programs: Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Anthem College

Campus Locations: Sacramento
Programs: Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Cabrillo College

Campus Locations: Aptos
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Career Care Institute

Campus Locations: Lancaster, Ventura
Programs: Medical Assisting – Certificate
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Career Networks Institute

Campus Locations: Orange
Programs: Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Carrington College

Campus Locations: Antioch, Citrus Heights, Emeryville, Pleasant Hill, Sacramento, San Jose, San Leandro, Stockton
Programs: Medical Assistant Program, Medical Assisting – Associate Degree, Medical Assisting – Certificate, Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Associate Degree, Certificate, Diploma
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Casa Loma College

Campus Locations: Anaheim, Hawthorne, Van Nuys
Programs: Medical Assistant – Certificate, Medical Assisting – Certificate
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Chabot College

Campus Locations: Hayward
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

City College of San Francisco

Campus Locations: San Francisco
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Cosumnes River College

Campus Locations: Sacramento
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

East San Gabriel Valley ROP and Technical Center

Campus Locations: West Covina
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Everest College

Campus Locations: Alhambra, Anaheim, City Of Industry, Gardena, Hayward, Los Angeles, Ontario, Reseda, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Torrance, West Los Angeles.

Programs: Medical Administrative Assistant Diploma, Medical Assistant – Diploma, Medical Assistant Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES, CAAHEP

Four-D College

Campus Locations: Colton, Victorville
Programs: Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Heald College

Campus Locations in: Concord, Fresno, Hayward, Milpitas, Modesto, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, Salinas, San Francisco, Stockton
Programs: Medical Assisting – Associate Degree, Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Associate Degree, Diploma
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Homestead Schools, Inc.

Campus Locations: Torrance
Programs: Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Kaplan College

Campus Locations: Bakersfield, Chula Vista, North County, Palm Springs, Riverside, Stockton
Programs: Medical Assistant – Certificate, Medical Assistant – Diploma, X-ray Technician/Back Office Medical Assistant – Diploma
Program Types: Certificate, Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Modesto Junior College

Campus Locations: Modesto
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Orange Coast College

Campus Locations: Costa Mesa
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Pasadena City College

Campus Locations: Pasadena
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Preferred College of Nursing

Campus Locations: Van Nuys
Programs: Medical Assisting – Certificate
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Southern California Regional Occupational Center

Campus Locations: Torrance
Programs: Medical Assistant Program
Program Types: Certificate
Program Accreditation: CAAHEP

Valley College of Medical Careers

Campus Locations: Mountain View
Programs: Medical Assistant – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

WyoTech

Campus Locations: Long Beach
Programs: Medical Assisting, Medical Assisting – Diploma
Program Types: Diploma
Program Accreditation: ABHES

Medical assistants are not required to be licensed, certified or registered by the State of California, but many employers prefer to employ those that are, as it may be something that is required by their malpractice insurance carrier. It is for this reason that it is preferable that you do one of the Medical Assistant programs in California that are accredited and offer the opportunity for their graduates to get registered and obtain licensure.

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