Our program will prepare you to work as a multi-skilled health professional who can perform both clinical and administrative duties in physicians’ offices, medical centers, clinics, laboratories, and other ambulatory care settings.
Is This Program Right for Me?
Some common skills and abilities needed for this program include excellent written, oral and reading comprehension; active listening; care and compassion for patients and coworkers; clerical and computer knowledge; attention to detail and accuracy handling information; and integrity.
Medical assistants typically prepare patients and treatment rooms for clinical exams; interact with clients; assist practitioners with exams; take and record vital signs and medical information; help with injections as directed by a primary care provider; handle patient billing and bookkeeping tasks; work with electronic medical records and coordinate appointments, among other tasks.
A Professional Certificate in Medical Assisting can lead directly to employment or count toward an AAS degree in Medical Assisting. Once you complete the Professional Certificate requirements, you will take an exam to become certified. Some employers do not require assistants to be certified, but those who are certified increase their career opportunities.
Occupational Outlook
Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 23 percent through 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Most medical assistants work in physicians’ offices, medical centers, clinics, laboratories, other healthcare facilities, and insurance billing agencies. Salaries range from $29,070 to $48,170.
Data Sources – The website mynextmove.org, which is developed and maintained by the National Center for O*NET Development, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).
The program starts in August and January; an additional application is required. Classes are offered online with one day a week of on-ground skills lab at Clinton, Boonville, Sedalia, or Lake of the Ozarks.
The State Fair Community College Medical Assisting Program is designed to meet educational requirements for a medical assistant certification required for employment as a medical assistant in all 50 states. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin. If you have questions about certification requirements in a specific state, contact the program directly or view information listed in Consumer Information. The information will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis prior to the start of the fall semester. If a student is determined to be located in a state where the medical assisting program does not meet educational requirements, in order to enroll in the medical assisting program, the student will be required to complete an attestation prior to starting the program indicating plans to work in a state where the medical assisting program meets educational requirements.
