Medical Assistant--More About the Program

Dreaming of a career as a medical assistant?
As a Medical Assistant (MA), you will work in a challenging, changing, rewarding profession. Graduates of the Moraine Valley Community College Medical Assisting program possess an exceptionally broad, thorough knowledge of the field in which they will be working. Medical assistants are uniquely trained to work in both clinical and administrative settings. MAs give health care a human touch, helping patients to feel at ease in the doctor's office and to understand physicians' instructions. If you have good communications skills and are often appreciated for your caring manner, then you might be well suited for a career in medical assisting.

Why should I select the Moraine Valley Community College Medical Assistant Program?
The MVCC Medical Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education programs (CAAHEP) on the recommendation of the Curriculum Review Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Therefore, upon program completion you are eligible to challenge the prestigious Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) Examination. In addition, you will receive high quality training at a fraction of the cost of other schools! Moraine Valley’s tuition and fees are approximately $2,160 versus $8,222 – 22,365 at other area colleges. You can attend classes on either a full-time or part-time basis. Day and evening classes are available.

This is what R.W. Warner, Administrator, Women’s Healthcare of Illinois, an area employer, has to say about the MVCC Medical Assistant Program:

“My experience assisting student from Moraine Valley has been excellent. The Moraine students come well prepared and with great attitudes and a willingness to learn. I have hired many of the students and anticipate continuing to do so”.

What are the job prospects for Medical Assistants?
Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014 as the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population. Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. Job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, particularly for those with certification. Medical assistants held about 387,000 jobs in 2004. About 6 out of 10 worked in offices of physicians; about 14 percent worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities; and 11 percent worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. The rest worked mostly in outpatient care centers, public and private educational services, other ambulatory health care services, State and local government agencies, employment services, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and nursing care facilities.

Medical Assistants may work full-time or part-time and are paid competitive wages and can receive valuable benefits. More importantly, MAs have the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping others and making a positive difference in people's lives.
Sources: American Association of Medical Assistants and U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

What are the other opportunities available at Moraine Valley?
Many of the courses in the Medical Assistant Program are also included in the Health Information Technology Program. The MRT courses transfer into the HIT associate degree curriculum as well as apply to the Coding Specialist Certificate and Medical Transcription Certificate. Also, the MA program requires PHB-110 Principles and Practice of Phlebotomy. PHB-111 and PHB-112 may be taken for elective credit in the Medical Assistant Program. By also successfully completing PHB-111 Phlebotomy Clinical Seminar and PHB-112 Phlebotomy Clinical Practice, a student may earn an additional certificate from the Moraine Valley Community College Phlebotomy Program, thereby also becoming eligible to take the phlebotomy certification examination.

How do I get started?
To learn more about how you can pursue a career in medical assisting, you are advised to contact the Academic Advising Center at (708) 974-5721. Complete an application to Moraine Valley Community College and take the Compass math and reading placement tests prior to registration for the first medical assistant prerequisite class.

When Do Classes Meet?
Please contact the college’s web site for up-to-the-minute information on class scheduling and for the number of seats available in a particular class. The address is http://www.morainevalley.edu/schedule/index.asp. Click on the link to "Real-time class availability" link.