Career College of Northern Nevada: Medical Assistant Courses At CCNN

What do Medical Assistants Do?

Medical Assistants are an integral part of any healthcare setting. They typically perform tasks like taking patient history, measuring patient vital signs, giving injections as directed by a doctor and generally aiding the physician in their work. They also work in the front office of a healthcare setting: scheduling appointments, filing insurance and managing electronic healthcare records. Medical Assisting offers lots of variety in the workplace. While all Medical Assistants work in healthcare settings, some work in hospitals, some in doctors’ offices or specialty clinics like orthopedics or cardiology and some in urgent care settings.

What Makes a Good Medical Assistant?

A Medical Assistant is usually the first person a patient interacts with in a medical setting and can set the tone for the whole visit. The job requires good communication skills, manual dexterity, stamina and the ability to use reasoned judgement. As a person with access to patient medical records, the job also requires excellent reading comprehension and demonstrated ethical and moral principles.

What Courses Will I Take to Become a Medical Assistant?

Becoming a Medical Assistant requires a broad range of skills. At CCNN, you will take courses related to healthcare, including Pharmacology, Phlebotomy Skills, Vital Signs, Lymphatic, Immune & Endocrine Systems. You will also learn necessary business practices through courses like Electronic Health Records, Accounting for Medical Assistants, Computer Fundamentals and Medical Office Management and Administrative Procedures. At the end of your program, you will have a Clinical Externship where you will apply the knowledge and skills you have learned. This externship gives you an opportunity to experience the full range of work done in this field.

How long does the program take?

You can be career-ready in less than two years. The 94.5 credit hours of coursework can take just 16.5 months to complete. During the program, you will be in classroom and laboratory settings where the average class size is 15 students per instructor and larger classes don’t exceed 40 students. Upon completion of the program, you will receive an Associate of Occupational Studies Degree in Medical Assisting that can position you to enter the workforce with the knowledge and training to be a highly sought-after job.

How do I find out more?

To learn more about Medical Assistant Courses at CCNN, please call us at 775-241-4445. We would welcome a conversation with you about the opportunities that becoming a Medical Assistant can offer you. Learn more: