Medical Assisting

Medical assistants are multi-skilled health professionals specifically educated to work in a variety of health care settings performing clinical and administrative duties. Mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills acquired through both formal education and practical experience serves as the standard for entry into the profession.

Wake Tech offers both a one-year diploma and a two-year Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Medical Assisting, and apprenticeships through WakeWorks are available to students.

The diploma program is a full-time day program, with classes being taught online, hybrid and seated at the Perry Health Sciences Campus, off Sunnybrook Road adjacent to WakeMed in Raleigh. Only a few classes are taught online, so the program cannot be completed online.

After completing a Medical Assisting diploma, a student is eligible to take a credentialing exam (CMA-AAMA or RMA-AMT) and then find employment as a credentialed medical assistant.

In addition to all courses required for the Medical Assisting diploma, students wishing to complete the AAS degree must take the following:

• Four extra Medical Assisting courses, which are offered online
• Three general education courses (CIS-110, a Humanities or Fine Arts elective and an English or Communications elective)

Coursework includes instruction in the following:

• Scheduling appointments
• Coding and processing insurance accounts
• Billing, collections and computer operations
• Assisting with examinations and treatments
• Performing routine laboratory procedures
• Electrocardiography
• Supervised medication administration
• Legal and ethical issues associated with patient care

Occupational risks

Medical assistants work directly with providers and patients, with the goal of providing health care and ensuring patient safety. As with any health care profession, medical assistants are exposed to certain occupational risks or hazards while performing their duties, including the following:

• Exposure to infectious diseases
• Sharps injuries
• Blood-borne pathogens and biological hazards
• Chemical and drug exposure
• Ergonomic hazards from lifting, sitting and repetitive tasks
• Latex allergies
• Stress

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established a series of standards that protect the safety of health care workers and patients. Also, as an accredited program, Wake Tech's Medical Assisting program teaches students about the hazards they face on the job and the protocols that can be put into place to ensure a workplace culture that prioritizes safety.

Students are required to take the MED-138: Infection/Hazard Control course in the first semester. The course introduces the student to infection and hazard control procedures necessary for the health care worker. Topics include introduction to microbiology, practical infection control, sterilization and monitoring, chemical disinfectants, aseptic technique, infectious diseases and applicable North Carolina laws.

Professional licensure

Wake Tech academic programs (credit and non-credit) that are designed to lead to professional licenses are tied to North Carolina or national certifications. If you intend to pursue professional licenses outside North Carolina once you have completed your academic program at Wake Tech, please refer to the Professional Licensure section of the college's distance education authorization page for additional information.

Accreditation and certification

Wake Tech's Medical Assisting diploma program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board. A CAAHEP-accredited program is expected to prepare medical assistants who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

CAAHEP can be contacted at 9355 113th Street N., #7709, Seminole, FL 33775-7709 or by calling 727-210-2350.

Graduates of CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting programs may be eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants' (AAMA) certification examination to become Certified Medical Assistants, or CMAs.

AAMA can be contacted at 20 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 1575, Chicago, IL 60606 or by calling 312-899-1500 or 800-228-2262.

Apprenticeships

Wake Tech's CAAHEP-accredited Medical Assisting program has an apprenticeship component, but it is not part of the accredited program. Rather, it has been designed to comply with CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Medical Assisting.

Students enrolled in a CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting program are not prohibited from working concurrently as a medical assistant in a health care environment. As a result, the apprenticeship component is a paid position that some students complete in conjunction with the program. Wake Tech has no jurisdiction over what a student does for an outside employer. However, if a Medical Assisting student is enrolled in the apprenticeship component while completing the MED-260: Medical Clinical Practicum course, the student must be supervised and treated as student and not be substituted for staff during their clinical hours.

Medical Assisting apprenticeship students must be registered with WakeWorks^®, a partnership between Wake Tech and Wake County to address a shortage of technical workers in the region. Apprentices can get paid while gaining nationally recognized skills and professional credentials, as well as have their tuition paid while completing their classroom training to become a medical assistant.