Medical Assistant Programs in Georgia
Becoming a certified medical assistant (CMA) in the state of Georgia can be accomplished in as little as one to two years and can lead you into a rewarding and secure career in the booming healthcare sector as a medical assistant. Georgia offers many training and vocational schools as well as community colleges that offer accredited medical assistant training programs. Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is important if you would later like to take the certified medical assistant exam. These programs generally take about nine months to complete. Alternatively, you can also enroll in an associate degree medical assistant program to achieve higher qualification, and this takes about two years.
The next step after completing the medical assistant program in Georgia is to take the certified medical assistant exam, given by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). As was mentioned above, completion of an accredited medical assistant program is necessary in order to take the exam. When you pass this, you will be a qualified CMA, with a competitive edge in the market and a head start on your career. Legally, medical assistant certification in Georgia is not required to work as a medical assistant in Georgia. However, more and more hospitals, physicians’ offices, outpatient clinics, and specialists are looking only for employees with this training and certification.
Medical Assistant Programs Offered Online and On-Campus in Georgia
Medical Assistant programs may cover administrative and clerical skills that are necessary in order to help the office or clinic run smoothly and efficiently. This can include record keeping, billing, payroll and banking, transcribing doctor’s notes, insurance matters, and patient communication. Training will also cover many clinical skills. Phlebotomy, electro cardiograms, assessing patients, taking vital signs, and basic human anatomy and medical terminology are all important areas for the CMA. A good medical assistant needs to be trained to crossover from administrative assistant to clinical assistant, communicating effectively with doctors and nurses as well as patients and insurance companies.
The mean salary for a medical assistant in George is $27,900 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Salaries can be higher in larger cities, with more experience, and with different employers. The outlook for this job is outstanding. There are over 13,000 medical assistants working in Georgia, and this is a job that is predicted to continue growing at a rate of 35% through 2016. The growing aging population is creating a demand for more and more healthcare professionals. Medical support staff is especially important, as they are taking over more tasks from nursing staff and other health professionals that are facing shortages, and are legally becoming allowed to perform more tasks. This is a great career with a lot of promise for such a small training time. Get started today by choosing the best school for you.
You may also be interested in learning about the medical billing and coding programs in Georgia. Billing and coding is another growing field in the allied health professions.
(Sources: AAMA website, Bureau of Labor Statistics)
