Tennessee Medical Assistant Programs

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Medical Assistant in Tennessee - Medical Assistant Programs in Tennessee

Medical assistants are an essential part of the health care community. These individuals do a variety of jobs, including taking patient histories, measuring vital signs, give injections, assist the doctor with the exam, prepare blood for lab tests, and clerical work, like scheduling patient appointments, filing, and updating patient records. To become a medical assistant, most people undergo some type of training, though it is not formally required by the state. A trained and certified medical assistant in Tennessee will have an easier time finding a job, because employers are typically looking for these individuals. Accreditation for certification programs in the medical assistant field is offered by Institute for Credentialing Excellence.

There are four certifying bodies issuing medical assistant certificates. The American Association of Medical Assistants offers a CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) credential. American Medical Technologists provides an RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) credential. The National Center for Competency Testing has the NCMA (National Certified Medical Assistant) credential. The National Health Career Association offers a CCMA (Certified Clinical Medical Assistant) credential. The CMA credential is the only one of the three which requires formal training past high school. All four require the applicant to pass a certification examination. When you want to become a medical assistant in Tennessee, it is wise to at least get one of these certifications.

However, there are also a number of training medical assistant programs in Tennessee. These can range from a six-month certificate to a two-year associate's degree or more. Some of the schools in Tennessee offering medical assistant programs include Anthem Career College, Chattanooga State Community College, Cleveland State Community College, DayMar Institute, MedVance Institute, Miller-Motte Technical College, National College, South College, Tennessee Technology Center at Knoxville, and Virginia College. In addition, online programs are available through schools like Kaplan University and Herzing University.

A medical assistant in Tennessee can expect to make around $27,900 per year, the average for the profession across the state. This is a little lower than the national mean annual wage of $30,170, but it is still not bad considering there are no formal education requirements. Most medical assistants in Tennessee work in physicians' offices, but there are jobs available in other healthcare facilities as well. Job security and opportunity are predicted to be very good in this field. The estimated increase in jobs by 2020 across all occupations in the nation is fourteen percent, while the job outlook for the medical assistant field is over double that at thirty-one percent.

• Tennessee Department of Health