Medical Assistant   

Combine an office job with a health care career

Do you have a friendly personality?  Are you considerate, respectful and kind? Can you put yourself in someone else’s shoes?  Are you dependable?  Are you detail oriented?  Are you trustworthy?  When an emergency arises, do you stay calm and take responsibility? These qualities make medical assistants a vital part of any medical office.
Combining both clinical and administrative skills, a solid education qualifies medical assistants to work in the front office, the exam room and the physician’s lab. Medical assistants serve as a liaison between the doctor and the patient, and are key components of any successful medical practice. Considered one of the top 10 Hot Skills of the next decade, medical assisting equals plenty of job opportunities, due to an aging population, and two brand new hospitals in the West Valley alone. Get Started! The SouthWest Skill Center designed it’s Medical Assistant Certificate to provide graduates with the skills they need to work in a doctor’s office, clinic, urgent care center, hospital or medical billing company - wherever office skills and medical knowledge merge.

The program offers two parts:
Front Office provides training in office administration including record keeping, billing, maintaining financial records, computer usage, customer service and phone skills, including triage and scheduling.
Back Office trains students in patient treatment, primarily taking vital signs, EKGs, urinalysis, venipuncture, first aid, supply inventories, instrument preparation and proper patient charting. 

Classes are calculated according to clock hours instead of semester-based credits. The MA Program averages 966 clock hours, including both classroom instruction and 160 hours of clinical experience at local medical facilities.