School of Health Sciences and School of Business and Technology

The outlook for Medical Assisting is very bright. According to national labor statistics, Medical Assisting is the fastest-growing allied health profession in the U.S. and one of the fastest-growing professions of all U.S. career fields.

In view of the preference of many health care employers for trained personnel, job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, particularly for those with certification.
(Bureau of Labor statistics, U.S. Dept. of Labor)

The Mountain State University Medical Assisting Associate Degree Program is the only program where students are dually trained — both in administrative (business) skills and clinical skills – thus, the inclusion of the program in both the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business and Technology.

People who want to help and care for others, but are not drawn to being physicians or nurses, are good candidates to enter the field of medical assisting. People who have a business background or an interest in management enter medical assisting because they can build on their skills, possibly leading to a clinic management position.

The Medical Assisting program comprises general studies in the humanities, business, and the natural sciences along with preparation for clinical and administrative health care positions. Medical assistant positions often include such tasks as:

• Reception
• Appointment scheduling
• Medical coding and transcribing
• Computer use
• Taking patient histories
• Taking and recording vital signs medication administration
• Assisting the physician with minor procedures
• Venipuncture and giving injections

Students learn to run the "front" office and can schedule appointments, answer the phone, call in prescriptions, prepare and maintain patient charts, do billing and collections, process insurance claims, transcribe medical documents, and many other administrative duties.

Students also learn to assist the physician in the "back" office, which is the clinical area. They take patient histories, screen patients, take and record vital signs, do basic laboratory tests, do EKGs, venipuncture, give injections, and assist the physician with different procedures.

Graduates are then eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Assisting exam, a national test which, when passed, gives the medical assistant the privilege of including the credential CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) behind their name.

Admissions
Mountain State University requires applicants to have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate. Transfer students from other regionally accredited colleges and universities are required to submit transcripts from each school attended. International students must communicate with the University's coordinator for international student services.

Financial Aid
As a full-time student, you can apply for federal, state and private financial aid. Additionally, MSU accepts employer tuition assistance and military benefits. More than 80% of our undergraduate students in 2005-2006 received some form of aid.

Online Learning
Courses are completed in eight week sessions. Normally two courses are completed in each session allowing you to complete your degree in a relatively short time frame. Our convenient online format allows you to access course information, communicate with your instructor and other students, and complete and submit assignments from the comfort of your own home. MSU's programs have no on-campus residency requirement. All of our online programs are specifically designed to allow busy working professionals the opportunity to earn their degree without interrupting their professional and personal commitments.