Five Reasons You Should Choose the LSC-North Harris Medical Assisting Program
click here
Fall 2009 program at LSC-North Harris Main Campus
Applications for the Fall 2009 full-time, day Medical Assisting program at the Main Campus will be available online on April 1 and will be accepted through August 15. First priority will be given to students that submit a completed application before July 15. If you wish to apply after this date, please make sure you meet the minimum criteria and visit with the Program Director or the Academic Advisor for Health and Human Services. Spring 2009 Information Session dates have been posted.
Medical Assisting Program
Welcome to the Lone Star College-North Harris Medical Assisting Program. This new program is designed for students interested in working directly with patients in a physician office or other non-hospital setting.
Medical Assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors and optometrists running smoothly.
The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office depending on office location, size, and specialty. In small practices, medical assistants may be "generalists," handling both administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants report directly an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Those in larger practices may specialize is a particular area under the supervision of a department administrator.
Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens and perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They instruct patients about medication and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for x-rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, change wound dressings, and perform a variety of other procedures as instructed.
Medical Assistants may also perform many administrative duties for the office. They answer telephones, greet patients, update and file patient medical records, fill out insurance forms, handle correspondence, schedule appointments, arrange for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handle billing and bookkeeping.
How much will I earn as a Medical Assistant
The average salary and hourly pay vary between certified medical assistants (CMAs) and non-certified assistants, according to their years of experience.
- Average annual salary for a full-time CMA in 2004 was $27,951. By comparison, according to the 1998 survey, full-time CMAs earned $21,373.
- Full-time CMAs earn an average of $1,176 more (roughly 4%) than non-CMAs who earn an average of $26, 775 annually.
For more information abou the current job market for CMAs, click here for the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics website.