Considering a career as a medical assistant? It’s a fantastic choice for those who are compassionate, detail-oriented, and eager to work in the healthcare field. Medical assistants are in high demand, playing a vital role in doctors’ offices, clinics, and hospitals. If you’re exploring training options, you might be wondering about the Career Step Medical Assistance program and, crucially, how long is the Career Step medical assistance program? This article will delve into the duration of the Career Step program, its curriculum, and what you can expect on your journey to becoming a certified medical assistant.
The Career Step Medical Assistant program is designed to be a comprehensive, self-paced online course, allowing you to learn the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in this rewarding profession. Let’s break down what the program entails and how long it typically takes to complete.
CareerStep Medical Assistant Program Curriculum Breakdown
The Career Step program is structured into modules that cover a wide range of essential topics for medical assistants. Here’s a detailed look at the curriculum:
Foundational Knowledge and Program Basics
The program starts with essential orientation and introductory modules to set you up for success:
Program Orientation: Medical Assistant
This initial module familiarizes you with the Career Step learning platform. You’ll learn how to navigate the online program, utilize study tools, access support resources, and understand the program’s expectations and requirements.
Medical Assistant Career Introduction
Here, you’ll gain a solid understanding of the medical assisting profession, including the scope of practice, career opportunities, and the importance of certification, licensure, accreditation, and registration for medical assistants.
Healthcare Foundational Knowledge and Basic Science
This section lays the groundwork for your medical knowledge. You’ll learn medical terminology, including abbreviations and word building, explore the relationship between nutrition and health, and understand the psychological aspects of patient care and behavior.
Core Medical Science and Patient Care Skills
Building upon the foundational knowledge, the program delves into the crucial scientific and patient care aspects of medical assisting:
Anatomy and Physiology Essentials
A deep dive into the human body is essential. This module covers all body systems, from the structure of the skin (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis) and bone formation (osteogenesis) to the muscular and nervous systems. You’ll also learn about essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, kidney functions, and even fetal development.
General Patient Care
This module introduces you to the practical aspects of patient care, including pharmacology basics relevant to medical assistants and the essential procedures for preparing examination rooms and patients for medical examinations.
Pharmacology Basics for Medical Assisting
Expanding on pharmacology, this module covers drug classifications, their indications, side effects, and adverse reactions. You’ll also learn to interpret medication abbreviations commonly used in healthcare settings.
Infection Control
Crucial in any healthcare setting, this module reviews infectious and communicable diseases, their causes, diagnostic methods, and most importantly, the protective measures and protocols required to prevent infection spread.
Testing and Laboratory Procedures
This module covers the essential skills for handling specimens, including proper collection and handling techniques for blood and urine samples. You’ll also learn about standard vision and hearing screening tests and common medical laboratory procedures.
Professional and Administrative Skills
Beyond clinical skills, medical assistants need strong professional and administrative abilities:
Externship Readiness Skills
Preparing for your externship is a key component. This module focuses on career resources, time management, critical and creative thinking, stress management, effective communication (verbal, nonverbal, written), professional image, resume writing, and interview skills. It also emphasizes study habits, self-motivation, professionalism, and learning from failures.
Patient Care Coordination and Education
This section focuses on the broader role of a medical assistant in coordinating patient care and facilitating patient education, adhering to professional best practices.
Medical Administrative Assistant
This module shifts focus to the administrative side, covering different healthcare delivery models, services offered in medical offices (general and specialty), and ancillary services and alternative therapies.
Communication and Customer Service in the Healthcare Office
Effective communication is paramount. This module explores various communication types and styles used in healthcare offices and emphasizes how verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills impact patient experience and outcomes.
Comprehensive Electronic Health Records
In today’s digital healthcare environment, EHR proficiency is vital. This module covers the use and regulation of patient records, patient scheduling, clinical information reporting, and revenue cycle and financial reporting within EHR systems.
Medical Laws and Ethics
Understanding the legal and ethical framework of healthcare is essential for medical assistants. This module covers legal issues related to prescriptions, medication administration, healthcare regulations, ethical considerations, and legal aspects of medical documentation.
Clinical Procedures and Hands-On Skills
The program also incorporates modules focused on specific clinical procedures:
Phlebotomy
A core skill for many medical assistants, this module covers equipment and supplies for blood sample collection, common phlebotomy techniques, the steps in blood drawing, patient care before, during, and after blood collection, and proper blood sample handling and preparation.
Venipuncture Labs
This hands-on focused module emphasizes the practical application of phlebotomy skills. It covers the importance of medical history taking before invasive procedures, sterility and asepsis principles, venipuncture basics, techniques for drawing venous, arterial, and capillary blood, and different injection types.
EKG and Cardiovascular
This module introduces the anatomy of the heart and the procedures for performing electrocardiograms (EKGs/ECGs). You’ll learn about EKG equipment, calibration, standardization, and the supplies needed for ECG procedures.
Career Development and Professionalism
The program also dedicates modules to your professional growth and career success:
Career Success in Healthcare
This module focuses on defining professionalism and success, setting short-, medium-, and long-range goals, and further developing your time management skills for a successful healthcare career.
Medical Assistant Final Exam
This module prepares you for the final exam, outlining eligibility requirements, format, restrictions, policies, scoring, retake options, allowed resources, and time limits.
Fundamentals of HIPAA
Compliance with HIPAA is crucial in healthcare. This module covers HIPAA basics, the Privacy Rule, Security Rule, HITECH Act, regulations for business associates, and HIPAA documentation and training requirements.
Externship and Program Completion
The program culminates in practical experience and guidance for your next steps:
Applying For Your Required Externship*
This module guides you through the externship application process, including creating your profile in the Learner Placement Portal, accessing preparation resources, utilizing Career Step Community career resources, understanding externship benefits and eligibility, and navigating the application process.
Clinical Externship Experience*
This is the crucial hands-on component where you gain real-world experience and accrue hours that can contribute towards your certification.
Program Completion: Medical Assistant
The final module prepares you for the steps after program completion, guiding you towards your career as a certified medical assistant.
So, How Long Does the Career Step Medical Assistant Program Take?
Now to answer the key question: How long is the Career Step medical assistance program?
Career Step programs are self-paced, which means the completion time varies depending on your individual learning speed and the time you dedicate to your studies each week. However, Career Step provides an estimated program duration to help you plan.
The Career Step Medical Assistant program is designed to be completed in as little as 9 months when studying full-time. Many students choose to study part-time, and in that case, it will naturally take longer. Career Step allows for flexible learning, so you can adjust your study schedule to fit your life commitments.
Key factors influencing the program duration include:
- Study Hours per Week: The more hours you dedicate to your studies each week, the faster you will progress through the modules.
- Learning Pace: Everyone learns at a different pace. Some individuals may grasp concepts quickly, while others may require more time for review and practice.
- Externship Completion: The externship duration can also influence the overall program completion time, as it depends on finding a suitable externship site and completing the required hours.
It’s important to note that while the program is self-paced, Career Step provides structure and support to keep you on track. They offer study planners and resources to help you manage your time effectively and aim for timely completion.
Benefits of the Career Step Medical Assistant Program
Understanding the duration is important, but it’s also crucial to consider the benefits of choosing the Career Step program:
- Comprehensive Curriculum: As detailed above, the program covers a wide range of essential knowledge and skills needed to succeed as a medical assistant.
- Self-Paced Online Learning: The flexibility of online learning allows you to study at your own pace and on your own schedule, making it ideal for individuals with busy lives.
- Career-Focused Training: The program is specifically designed to prepare you for a career as a medical assistant, with a focus on practical skills and industry-relevant knowledge.
- Externship Opportunity: The program includes an externship component, providing valuable real-world experience that employers highly value.
- Certification Preparation: The curriculum is designed to help you prepare for medical assistant certification exams, enhancing your credibility and job prospects.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a flexible and comprehensive path to becoming a medical assistant, the Career Step Medical Assistant program is a strong option. While the exact time to completion depends on your study habits, aiming for around 9 months of full-time study is a reasonable estimate. The self-paced format allows you to tailor your learning to your needs, and the thorough curriculum ensures you gain the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful career in medical assisting. By understanding the program structure and time commitment, you can confidently take the next step towards your healthcare career goals.
*CareerStep does not guarantee externships. A learner’s placement in and completion of an externship is solely the learner’s responsibility and may be subject to additional requirements, such as a background check and successful completion of a CareerStep course. This is particularly important for learners seeking to complete their externship in Alabama, District of Columbia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Please note that CareerStep will not sign agreements with sites in the above-referenced states or provide evidence of insurance to those sites.
