Hancock Physician Network (HPN), in partnership with Hancock Health, has a Medical Assistant Training Program to address the growing need for more medical assistants in Hancock and surrounding counties.
Goal
The goal is to train students to work in ambulatory settings such as family and internal medicine, OB-GYN, pediatric, immediate care, and many other specialty offices.
Mission
To help prepare students to be confident, competent, and professional medical assistants as they serve in an ever-changing healthcare environment to support fellow students, coworkers, patients, and other healthcare professionals in a caring, respectful and empathetic way.
Vision
To graduate students who exemplify servant leadership with integrity, dependability, and professionalism.
Program Objectives
- Train students to work as medical assistants.
- Prepare graduates to sit for certification exams.
- Provide medical assistants to fill the growing need in the community.
- Assist graduates in finding gainful employment.
For course descriptions, please click HERE.
Program Duration
Class is a four (4) month commitment plus a six (6) week externship.
New classes will begin 2-3 times per year.
Prerequisite
High school diploma or GED/HSE
Certification
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
What medical assistants do
Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to help medical offices such as family and internal medicine, pediatric, OB/GYN, immediate care, dermatology, podiatry, chiropractic, and many other specialty offices run smoothly. They may work in a small clinic, large medical practice, or a multi-specialty clinic.
Administrative duties may include answering phones, using fax machines and other office equipment, greeting patients, verifying patient demographics, updating patient records, coordinating referrals, and scheduling patients. They must be proficient in computer skills.
Clinical duties will vary from state to state according to laws. Common tasks include taking medical histories, vital signs, preparing patients for examinations, and assisting physicians and nurse practitioners. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens, perform some lab tests, dispose of contaminated materials, and sterilize medical instruments. They prepare and administer medications and injections as directed by the physician or nurse practitioner, have working knowledge of pharmacology, authorize medication refills as directed, electronically transfer prescriptions, draw blood, perform electrocardiograms (ECGs), remove sutures and change dressings. Medical assistants maintain supplies and equipment and help to keep the entire office area clean and stocked.
Medical assistants communicate with patients, management, and physicians. They provide education for patients, proactively demonstrate an understanding of customers’ expectations, and are sensitive to cultural diversity. They must possess excellent oral and written communication skills and be courteous, kind, and respectful. Medical assistants are expected to be neat, clean, and well-groomed. They must act and dress in a professional manner. They must be able to work with peers in a team situation to help create a positive work environment. They must have the ability to put patients at ease and maintain patient confidentiality. Medical assistants must possess sound judgment, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
Job Projections
According to Nurse Journal at https://nursejournal.org/medical-assistant/medical-assistant-careers-salary-outlook/ (2020), the “outlook for this position indicates a much faster growth prediction than other jobs within the field of medicine and across the United States in general.”
Employment Opportunities
Medical assistants held about 700,000 jobs in 2018. Sixty percent of the jobs were in physicians’ offices, 15% were in hospitals, nursing homes, and outpatient healthcare facilities and the remaining 25% were in specialty healthcare offices such as chiropractors, optometrists, dermatologists, etc.
Contact
Patricia Driggers, BAS, M.Ed.
Education Program Coordinator
(317) 468.6295
pdriggers@hancockregional.org