Certificate of Achievement Medical Assisting

Colleges of Contra Costa

A Medical Assistant is a professional, multi-skilled person dedicated to assisting in patient care management, primarily in a physician's office or in an ambulatory clinical setting. Certified Medical Assistants are the most versatile professionals in the healthcare society. A medical assistant serving in the office or clinical setting may be responsible for taking patients' histories, preparing patients for examinations, assisting the physician with procedures, or performing related procedures within their scope of training. Also, a medical assistant may be responsible for sterilizing and packaging equipment used in the clinical setting, and for preparing the clinical rooms for the next patient. A medical assistant may be responsible for performing certain laboratory duties such as phlebotomy, cultures, and various laboratory tests that may be ordered by the physician for the patient. Medical assistants perform these laboratory tests while under the supervision of the appropriate lab personnel, and must observe all safety and technical standards. A medical assistant may choose to work in the administrative setting of a physician's office or clinic. This area entails billing, filing, bookkeeping, transcription, patient scheduling, receptionist duties, and insurance filing. Many medical assistants function in a role combining both clinical and administrative duties.