Does your life seem too busy? Almost everyone in modern society might answer yes to this question. But feeling overwhelmed by our obligations might be a sign that priorities are out of balance, and a change is needed. If you have been considering a career switch and want to work in healthcare, consider medical assistant school.
The Medical Assistant program offered by Prism Career Institute is offered at campus locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Our healthcare career programs are designed to accommodate your work and family commitments with options for a daytime or evening class schedule. Here, we discuss how you can become a medical assistant – even with a busy life.
What Is a Medical Assistant?
The medical assistant job role can be defined in a variety of ways, depending on the work environment. This happens to be one of the great strengths of this career choice because there are opportunities for both specialists and generalists. The healthcare sector contains many different fields, institutions, models, and organizing principles. In other words, job descriptions for medical assistants vary by employer, and reflect the preferred methods of specific medical offices, hospital departments, or other healthcare settings.
There are typical duties and responsibilities performed by medical assistants, which include direct patient care and office procedures. Medical assistants might be responsible for interviewing patients, taking vital signs, and helping them remain comfortable during examinations. They often record medical data and keep patient charts up to date. On the other hand, some medical assistants focus on office procedures and spend most of their day scheduling patients or working with billing systems. Whether you want to work one-on-one with patients, prefer administrative tasks, or desire a combination of duties, healthcare employers need well-trained medical assistants.
Medical assistant school can also prepare you for a variety of medical assistant career paths. As medical assistants gain work experience, they may develop preferences around tasks or types of patients. It is possible to work with pediatric populations, certain chronic illnesses, and the elderly. Medical assistant services are required in oncology departments, public health clinics, nursing homes, and eldercare communities, as well as within rehabilitation centers.
What Is the Time Commitment for Medical Assistant School?
The Medical Assistant program at Prism Career Institute can be completed in as few as 10 months. The length is determined by whether students attend daytime or evening classes, and whether they successfully complete each class and therefore maintain a continuous schedule. Our medical assistant school program includes:
- 425 lecture hours
- 135 laboratory hours
- 160 externship hours
The unique medical assistant externship included in our program provides students with real-world experience as medical assistants working in the community. In keeping with the career-focused training and education offered by Prism Career Institute, students have this opportunity to work in medical offices and other healthcare settings. This work experience helps students determine career preferences, acquire positive job references, and network within the local healthcare community.
How Can Medical Assistant School Fit Into My Schedule?
When it comes to fitting medical assistant school into your hectic life, Prism Career Institute has a few helpful suggestions.
Consider Your Whole Schedule
List your commitments and obligations, as well as meaningful activities that you don’t want to miss. By looking at your schedule in its entirety, you will likely see some time periods available for studying and attending class. Our day classes meet Monday – Thursday from 9:00AM-1:30PM and our Evening classes meet Monday – Thursday from 5:30PM-10:30PM. These schedules work perfectly for those who work part-time or full-time.
Talk to Your Loved Ones
How might they be able to offer you support by taking over some of your regular duties or rescheduling their activities? Remind them it is only for the relatively short duration of your medical assistant school program.
Discuss Your Work Schedule With Supervisors
If you are working full-time or part-time, how can that schedule be modified to fit your educational plans? Does your employer offer a tuition reimbursement program? Many employers are willing to support employee initiative when it comes to personal development and advancement.
Contact Prism Career Institute
Find out more about the medical assistant school program and required schedule commitments. Get complete information about the program and career opportunities before you make a final decision about how to modify your current lifestyle.
Start a New Career With Prism Career Institute
Prism Career Institute offers the Medical Assistant program at three convenient campus locations, in Philadelphia, PA, Cherry Hill, NJ, and West Atlantic City, NJ. There are also plenty of student resources available, including financial aid for eligible students and career services for graduates. They say busy people are the ones who get things done. If you are ready for a career change that provides fulfilling work, as well as pathways for advancement, contact us today.