Medical assistants are multi-skilled health professionals who perform a wide range of roles in physicians’ offices, and clinics. They are proficient in a multitude of administrative and clinical tasks and are widely viewed by doctors as vital members of the health care delivery team. Administrative skills include patient reception, appointment scheduling, medical records management, insurance preparation, and transcription. Clinical skills include taking vital signs, assisting with physical examinations, minor office surgery, injections, venipuncture, electrocardiography, and laboratory testing.

The Medical Assisting program at West Kentucky Technical College includes courses in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, medical law and ethics, communications, microbiology, pharmacology, pathoplysiology, administrative procedures, clinical procedures, and laboratory procedures. Externship assignments are structured so that the student can apply knowledge gained in the classroom by performing administrative and clinical procedures in health care facilities.

Upon successful completion of the Medical Assisting program, graduates are qualified to take the Certification Examination for Medical Assistants conducted by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants. Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 as the health services industry expands.