College of Professional Studies
Medical Assisting
Are you passionate about healthcare, but running into difficulty trying to start your career?
Consider a career as a Medical Assistant!
Clayton State University offers two Medical Assisting completion programs, a certificate program and an A.A.S. program. The Medical Assisting Certificate Program prepares students for employment as medical assistants who help physicians with both clinical and administrative tasks. Students enrolled in the Medical Assisting program may choose one of two tracks: the Medical Assisting Track or the Medical Coding Track. Typical clinical duties include assisting with physical examinations and performing routine laboratory tests. Administrative duties include maintaining medical records, coding from medical records, filing, billing, and other clerical tasks. Employment opportunities for program graduates are available in physicians’ offices, hospitals, and other health care facilities.
Medical Office Administration
Associate of Applied Science Degree
This
A.A.S. Degree program builds on the Medical Assisting
Certificate by preparing the students for employment as managers
in medical settings, supervising other personnel in both
clinical and administrative tasks. Graduates seek employment as
medical office managers, medical assistant supervisors, and
medical assistants in hospitals, clinics, and laboratories.
Graduates of the Medical Assisting Program are currently employed in doctor’s offices and other medical facilities throughout the southern metropolitan area.
The Medical Office Administration Associate of Applied Science degree program includes two tracks: Medical Assisting or Medical Coding. Typical administration duties include supervising personnel, composing written communications, and developing and maintaining filing and financial systems. Typical clinical duties include assisting with physical examinations and performing routine laboratory tests. The Medical Coding track provides advanced training and practice in billing and coding procedures. Employment opportunities for program graduates are available in physician’s offices, hospitals, and other health care facilities.
Medical Assisting Certificate
The Medical Assisting program is designed to prepare individuals to work in ambulatory health care facilities in both the administrative and clinical areas. Administrative skills are developed in the areas of medical office procedures, written communications, financial management, insurance billing, International Classification of Diseases-9th Edition (ICD-9) and Physicians Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding.
Medical Coding Certificate
The program prepares individuals to work in an administrative role as a medical insurance and billing specialist. As the act of properly filing insurance claims by health care providers takes on more importance, it is necessary to understand the terminology and processes used by the insurance carriers as well as medical procedures.
Career Trends
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition : Medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004-14 period and job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, particularly those with certification. Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than average (increase 27 percent or more) for all occupations through the year 2014 as the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population. Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. In fact, medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004–14 period.
Employment growth will be driven by the increase in the number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly the flexible medical assistant who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants work primarily in outpatient settings, a rapidly growing sector of the health care industry.
Visit: www.bls.gov/oco/ocos164.htm for more information!
Questions to ask a prospective school:
Is your program accredited?
Yes.-The Clayton State University Medical Assisting Programs in Morrow, Georgia are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) 35 East Wacker Drive St. 1970, Chicago Il 60601-2208, 312-553-9355, on recommendation of the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants’ Endowment (AAMAE).
Visit: http://www.aama-ntl.org/endowment/educators/what.aspx for more information.
Can I get the Hope Grant or other Financial Aid for these programs?
Yes- Georgia residents enrolled in the certificate programs are eligible for the HOPE Grant that covers tuition, HOPE-approved mandatory fees, and a book allowance. Other Financial Aid options available to our students include, but are not limited to the HOPE Scholarship and the Pell Grant. Students enrolled in Certificate programs may be eligible to receive the HOPE Grant for up to 63 credit hours. For more information, contact the Financial Aid office at (678) 466-4185.
Visit: http://adminservices.clayton.edu/financialaid/ for more information
Will I be able to use my credits toward a higher degree?
Yes- Unlike many Medical Assisting proprietary schools that may charge over ten thousand dollars and have non-transferable credits, all credits earned in the Medical Assisting Certificate and Diploma programs will transfer to Clayton State Universities Bachelor of Applied Science Degree.
Visit: http://cps.clayton.edu/tech/BASProgram/default.htm for more information.
