Experience Details
Do you have students who love helping other, and being around people makes their day? Do they have a passion for healthcare but don't want to be a nurse? Then medical assisting with phlebotomy might be the right career path for them.
Program Length: Slightly more than a year
Format: On-Campus (with an optional online component)
Course Length: 6 Weeks
Average Class Size: 25 or Less
Medical assistants, or MAs, complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. That means you'll be working with patients, doctors, and nurses to support positive patient outcomes, provide great customer service, and ensure efficient healthcare offices.
MAs perform a wide variety of functions, depending on the type of office they work within. Administrative duties might include supporting, scheduling, and communicating with patients; documenting vitals; billing; and general office management.
At the same time, MAs may have clinical responsibilities, such as taking vital signs; explaining procedures; preparing patients for exams; taking medical histories; and helping doctors and nurses during procedures, such as lab work collection, administering medications, authorizing pharmacies to refill prescriptions, performing diagnostic tests, changing dressings, managing equipment, and more.
As an MA, you may also have phlebotomy tasks, such as drawing blood samples from patients to test for illness and health conditions. Depending on where you work, you may also be entering patient, specimen, and insurance information into billing systems; organizing blood-drawing trays; and taking inventories of, and sterilizing equipment.
Eligible students enrolled in the Erie or Pittsburgh campus diploma program may be able to take some courses in their program online for additional scheduling flexibility.
Toward the completion of your program, students participate in an internship that lets you practice your new skills in a real healthcare setting with professional supervision. Before beginning an internship, you will be required to have a physical and obtain proof that all of your immunizations are current. Some medical internship sites may require a criminal background check. Please speak with your admissions representative prior to enrolling in this program if a background check presents an obstacle for you.
Finally, upon the successful completion of your program, you will be prepared to seek certifications to demonstrate your mastery of the course material:
The Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA) exam is administered by the National Association for Health Professionals (NAHP).
The Nationally Registered Certified Phlebotomy Technician (NRCPT) is administered by the National Association for Health Professionals (NAHP).
Additionally, students will be prepared to obtain their CPR certification
The costs of the professional certification exams are included in your program. Certification exams are not required for employment; however, students who pass voluntary, third-party certification exams validate their competencies, skills, and abilities in the specialized field of study. IMBC believes students passing certification exams have a more competitive employment advantage for being hired over students with no certification.