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Medical Assistant Schools in Iowa

Medical assisting is one of the fastest growing occupations in the nation and a popular career choice for the high school graduate or GED holder. In Iowa, you can earn a diploma in medical assisting with one year of college work and become certified by taking a national certification examination.

With a growing elderly population, the state of Iowa foresees an expansion of medical services, and the position of medical assistant will be an important part of that expansion. To find the medical assisting programs in Iowa that may work for you, simply contact the schools you find listed on this page and request more information.

Medical Assistant Education in Iowa

The medical assistant provides many of the essential services that keep a physician’s office or medical center running smoothly. In this versatile role, you may perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments and arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services, maintaining patient records, filling insurance forms, handling billing and coding, and other necessary office tasks.

Clinical duties include taking patient histories and vital signs, collecting and processing specimens, performing selected diagnostic tests, assisting the physician with examinations and treatments, and administering medications as directed by the physician.

The courses taken in an Iowa medical assisting program allow you, as a student, to learn about anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, medical laboratory and clinical procedures, examination room techniques, medical office management, medical office computer applications, and medical insurance and legalities. A practicum or externship often concludes the program.

There are 12 medical assisting programs in Iowa that are nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Ten of them are part of the Iowa community college system and provide an 11 month diploma program in medical assisting. You can contact these schools directly from our site by following the links.

At Iowa Central and at Iowa Lakes, the diploma graduate has the option of continuing with one or two more semesters of courses to complete the Associate of Applied Science degree. The two accredited private colleges are Kaplan University, which offers the Associate’s degree at five campuses, and Mercy College of Health Sciences that offers a one year certificate and a two-year Associate of Science in Medical Assisting program. Most of these colleges also offer related programs for medical office specialists, billing and coding, and medical transcription.

The application process for medical assisting school goes beyond entrance into the college. There will be additional requirements such as a high school biology course with a grade of C or better. Assessment is required to determine whether the student has the minimum level of reading, writing and math proficiency; these can be provided with ACT scores. One school has a minimum requirement of 35 wpm keyboarding skills. CPR certification is required upon admission into the program. Criminal background checks and immunization records must also be presented before certain courses or the practicum.

All applicants will complete the financial aid application forms, to determine eligibility for federal loans or grants. Each school will provide a list of scholarships available to students of that school. Early application is encouraged so that the student can take advantage of all that is offered.

Have you ever thought about finishing your medical assistant certification in Iowa? There’s no doubt that healthcare is a growing industry in the United States. The healthcare worker shortage has had a heavy impact on rural states like Iowa. As demand for physicians and nurses has expanded, more facilities have turned to medical assistants, CNAs, and other professionals to provide routine care to patients. If you’ve been looking for a quick way to get started in the medical industry, becoming a medical assistant could be exactly what you need.

Medical Assisting Classes in Iowa

At many CMA classes in Iowa, you can finish your training in just one to two years. CMA programs are Certified Medical Assistant programs, which means they offer the mandatory clinical work and classroom hours that you need for certification. Keep in mind, though, that certification is optional. You may work as a medical assistant without certification, especially early in your career. Training topics are similar for certificate, diploma, and Associate’s degree programs. The primary difference is that diploma and certificate programs do not have any general education requirements. On the flip side, Associate’s programs generally involve at least 30 credits of coursework in math, English, science, and history. You should get lots of opportunities to work with patients throughout your medical assistant training, since most programs help you secure rotations at nearby nursing homes and home care facilities. By first observing medical assistants and then practicing your skills, you may build your confidence.

Medical Assisting Coursework

  • Basic Anatomy and Physiology
  • Administrative Medical Office Procedures
  • Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures
  • Math for Medications
  • Health Skills

Billing and Coding Programs in Iowa

If you are interested in administrative medical assistant certification in Iowa, you should consider the field of medical billing and coding. This has always been an important part of healthcare, but it has become even more essential in recent years. As healthcare legislation has changed and states have implemented billing transparency laws, facilities have experienced an increased need for billing specialists. This training is heavy on technology, so you may spend quite a bit of your educational time mastering different medical billing and coding programs. Consider putting your new skills to work in an internship. An internship can show you where you need to improve while helping you build connections with employers in your area.

Class Options in Billing and Coding Programs

  • Medical Insurance and Billing
  • Medical Procedural Coding
  • Applications of Procedural Coding
  • Medical Terminology
  • Health Records Management

Iowa Nurse Aide and Patient Care Tech Classes

Maybe you’re interested in CMA classes in Iowa because you want to work directly with patients. If that describes you, expand your search to include CNA and patient care tech degrees. Certified nursing assistants are the backbone of many healthcare facilities, particularly long-term care facilities. Patient care technicians receive specialized training in various areas of medical care, from EKG and phlebotomy to basic first aid. If you enroll in a nursing aide program, you could graduate in just two to three weeks. Some programs are as long as eight weeks; these options are convenient for working students. If you go one step further and attend a PCT program, you may need to finish one or two semesters of coursework before graduating.

CNA and Patient Care Tech Courses

  • Phlebotomy
  • Emergency Room Technician
  • General Systems Pathology
  • Medical Documentation
  • CPR and First Aid

Medical Secretary and Administrative Med Assisting Programs in Iowa

Somewhere between CNAs and billing specialists, you find administrative medical assisting programs. These programs are light on clinical work, so they’re the perfect option for those who want to stick primarily to administrative work. However, they still involve patient interaction and communication, which is what sets them apart from billing and coding. Like other medical assisting programs, medical secretary degrees usually last one to two years. Since this type of program does not involve clinical patent care, you may be able to do all of your training online. As always, though, hands-on experience can help you get more out of your education and put your skills to the test.

Administrative Medical Assisting Classes

  • Administrative Procedures for Medical Assistants
  • Advanced Medical Office Procedures
  • Basics of Pharmacology
  • Interpersonal Communication

Is the healthcare industry the right choice for you? Are you ready to take the plunge and get started?

If the answer is “yes,” contact Iowa medical assistant schools today to learn more!

Medical Assisting Careers in Iowa

Medical Assistant Career Outlook in Iowa

This is a prime time to look into medical assistant certification in Iowa. First, healthcare is more widely available now than it has been for a long time. As a result, clinics and hospitals are seeing a rise in their patient numbers. Second, medical assistants bring flexibility to healthcare settings. This frees up doctors’ and nurses’ time to focus on the tasks that only they can do. Finally, this industry is growing and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Reports indicate that growth in Iowa’s economy is being led by the healthcare sector (The Gazette, 2017).

Of course, many factors go into your employment options and job outlook in this field. If you attend CMA classes in Iowa and become a medical assistant, you may see an 18% boost in job openings between 2014 and 2024 (O*Net, 2017). Those who want to work in health information technology may go on to become medical records technicians. A 12% increase in job openings may take place between 2014 and 2024 (O*Net, 2017). Certified nursing assistants may find that most job openings are in long-term care, although CNAs may branch out into other care settings with experience. Job openings could jump 15% through the year 2024 (O*Net, 2017).

With the administrative skills you get in a medical secretary program, you may benefit from a statewide 15% increase in demand by 2024 (O*Net, 2017). To make the most of your job outlook in any of these fields, consider looking for positions in rural areas. The rural parts of Iowa are most likely to suffer from healthcare worker shortages, so you may be able to make a big difference by working in an underserved area.

With predictions by state agencies of a higher than average over-65 population and increasing need for direct care services, the job outlook for medical assistants is indeed promising. Take some time to get more information today, so you can take charge of your tomorrow.

Listed below are all of the schools offering Medical Assistant programs in Iowa. As a rule, you should contact at least 3-5 schools during the course of your research, and ideally more. There are important differences between the programs in terms of cost, admissions requirements, and other characteristics, and, as with many things in life, the way to find the best Medical Assistant program for your needs is to spend some time shopping around.

Here Are The Medical Assistant Schools…

Salary numbers provided are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.