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Medical Assistant
Program Description
MDA Information Sessions
- March 19, 2025
- June 4, 2025
- August 6, 2025
- October 15, 2025
- December 10, 2025
Gain an understanding of front and back-office skills to prepare for direct employment in a medical practice setting. Front office functions include checking patients in & out upon arrival & departure, phone etiquette, and scheduling appointments, working in electronic health records. Basics of billing and coding in the office. Back office skills such as recording vital signs, electrocardiograms, laboratory procedures, medication administration, and assisting the healthcare provider in special procedures are included. The laboratory and externship experiences are designed to give the student hands-on application of procedures in a medical office setting. After completing the program, the successful student is eligible to take the National Health Career Association (NHA) exam for Certified Medical Assistant (CCMA).
Information Session(s)
View Important Medical Assistant Announcement(s) above learn more.
Contact
medical.assistant@azwestern.edu
(928) 344-7552
LR 209 (map)
Program Costs Estimate
- Uniform: $40 Caribbean Blue + $8.50 program patch to be purchased at Mothers and Daughter Embroidery (2615 E 24th St #3, Yuma, AZ 85365)
- AWC Allied Health ID Badge $10 to be purchased at Campus Life
- Textbook and workbook: $120
- Health & Safety Requirements:
- CPR Card: $45
- Fingerprint Clearance Card: $73
- Tuberculosis Screening: $20 - $30
- Drug Test: $40
The costs provided are estimates and are subject to change.
Check the above to view program costs estimate. All fees are subject to change.
Note: Before the end of the student's second semester in the program, students must have an Arizona DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card for Volunteer Health Science Student & Clinical Assistant and a Healthcare Provider (BLS Provider) or Professional Rescuer (CPR) certification.
Degree(s) / Certificates(s)
| Title | Local Bachelor's |
|---|---|
| Medical Assistant - A.A.S. Occupational Degree | - |
| Medical Assistant - CERT Occupational Certificate | - |
Career Outlook
Successful completion of this program can open doors to various employment opportunities, many of which require further higher education at the university level. Below are examples of related occupations and their annual mean wages in Arizona, based on career and wage data from Pipeline AZ, which utilizes government sources for its reports and forecasts.
Description
Assist anesthesiologists in the administration of anesthesia for surgical and non-surgical procedures. Monitor patient status and provide patient care during surgical treatment.
Duties/Tasks
- Provide airway management interventions including tracheal intubation, fiber optics, or ventilary support.
- Respond to emergency situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), or pediatric advanced life support (PALS).
- Verify availability of operating room supplies, medications, and gases.
- Pretest and calibrate anesthesia delivery systems and monitors.
- Control anesthesia levels during procedures.
- Assist anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients, including electrocardiogram (EKG), direct arterial pressure, central venous pressure, arterial blood gas, hematocrit, or routine measurement of temperature, respiration, blood pressure or heart rate.
- Administer blood, blood products, or supportive fluids.
- Collect and document patients' pre-anesthetic health histories.
- Assist in the provision of advanced life support techniques including those procedures using high frequency ventilation or intra-arterial cardiovascular assistance devices.
- Monitor and document patients' progress during post-anesthesia period.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$121,490
$121,490
Entry Level Salary
$80,290
$80,290
Mid Level Salary
$124,870
$124,870
Expert Level Salary
$163,440
$163,440
Average Hourly Wage
$58.41
$58.41
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$38.60
$38.60
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$60.00
$60.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$78.58
$78.58
Typical Education Level
Masters Degree
Description
Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
Duties/Tasks
- Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
- Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
- Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
- Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
- Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
- Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
- Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$37,790
$37,790
Entry Level Salary
$29,640
$29,640
Mid Level Salary
$37,390
$37,390
Expert Level Salary
$47,250
$47,250
Average Hourly Wage
$18.17
$18.17
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.25
$14.25
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$17.00
$17.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$22.71
$22.71
Typical Education Level
Post Secondary Certificate
Description
Transcribe medical reports recorded by physicians and other healthcare practitioners using various electronic devices, covering office visits, emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chart reviews, and final summaries. Transcribe dictated reports and translate abbreviations into fully understandable form. Edit as necessary and return reports in either printed or electronic form for review and signature, or correction.
Duties/Tasks
- Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records.
- Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.
- Identify mistakes in reports and check with doctors to obtain the correct information.
- Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.
- Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries.
- Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine.
- Set up and maintain medical files and databases, including records such as x-ray, lab, and procedure reports, medical histories, diagnostic workups, admission and discharge summaries, and clinical resumes.
- Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records.
- Perform data entry and data retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and for transmission to physicians.
- Receive patients, schedule appointments, and maintain patient records.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$32,490
$32,490
Entry Level Salary
$26,830
$26,830
Mid Level Salary
$29,990
$29,990
Expert Level Salary
$46,210
$46,210
Average Hourly Wage
$15.62
$15.62
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$12.90
$12.90
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$14.00
$14.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$22.22
$22.22
Typical Education Level
Post Secondary Certificate
Description
Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry. Work is performed in various settings depending on the needs of the care recipient and may include locations such as their home, place of work, out in the community, or at a daytime nonresidential facility.
Duties/Tasks
- Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
- Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
- Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
- Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
- Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
- Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands.
- Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
- Plan, shop for, or prepare nutritious meals or assist families in planning, shopping for, or preparing nutritious meals.
- Transport clients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians' offices or on outings, using a motor vehicle.
- Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Program Photos
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Contact Information
Department Contact(s)
Allied Health
Hours of Operation
- Normal Hours
- Monday - Thursday: 7:00am-5:00pm