Medical Assistant Specialist

The Medical Assistant Specialist program at Western School of Health and Business Careers, Pittsburgh (WSHBC) is designed to prepare students to assist medical providers by performing administrative duties and basic clinical duties in an office and/or medical center. The core curriculum covers a variety of subjects, including medical practice, medical law and ethics, medical communications, medical records, insurance, patient preparation, and basic laboratory procedures and tests. The courses are grouped around knowledge and skills required for administrative and clinical medical assisting; however, courses are not necessarily offered in the sequences in which they appear in the catalog. Also, students will typically, but not always, be taught by more than one instructor during their program of study. Students are required to complete a supervised clinical externship at a medical facility that includes competencies, logs and evaluations completed by the student. At the completion of the program, graduates who have diligently attended class and their externship, studied, and practiced their skills should have the necessary skills to seek entry-level employment as medical assistants.

The Medical Assistant Specialist program at WSHBC is programmatically accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Therefore, graduates of the program are eligible for and encouraged to take the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam that is offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) examination offered by American Medical Technologists (AMT). These credentials are nationally recognized voluntary certifications that could enhance employment opportunities. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by WSHBC but by outside agencies and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, WSHBC cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take certification or registration exams at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.

Medical Assistant Specialist Program – Is It Right for You?

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The Medical Assistant Specialist program is programmatically accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), 7777 Leesburg Pike, Suite 314 North, Falls Church, Virginia 22043, .

* Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Medical Assistants, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos164.htm (visited June 27, 2007).