Medical Administrative Assistant
Carrington’s Medical Administrative Assistant program prepares graduates to work and help efficiently run medical clinics and organizations.
Program Details
Cost & Financial Aid
Education is a major investment, but it’s an investment in your future. Every student comes to Carrington with unique financial needs. Carrington College is committed to helping you achieve your goals. We participate in most financial assistance programs, both federal and state, as well as private financing. Each program has different requirements and application instructions. Student loans, grants, and scholarships are available to those who qualify.
For complete information on current tuition costs, please see page 236 of the Academic Catalog.
Location Availability
Our Medical Administrative Assistant program is available at our Stockton location. We also offer the program conveniently online.
Accreditation & Approvals
Carrington College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC/WASC), 428 J Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814; 415- 506-0234, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.
Additional information about accreditation, including the filing of complaints against member institutions, can be found at www.accjc.org/.
For comprehensive information on Carrington’s accreditation and approvals, visit carrington.edu/accreditation.
Continuing Education For Graduates
For students wanting to further their education after their Medical Administrative Assistant certificate, Carrington’s Health Studies Associate of Science Degree program provides an opportunity for individuals to build on prior education to earn the educational credential that is often needed for advancement in the health and wellness fields.
The Health Studies AS Degree program is an online degree-completion option that offers students a broad base of general education course offerings that can be completed in as few as 7 months.
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Read Our Career Guide on Medical Administrative Assisting
At the core of a doctor’s office or medical clinic is a medical administrative assistant. This person answers the phone, schedules appointments, checks in patients, files paperwork and maintains patient databases.
Career Opportunities
Medical secretaries and administrative assistants perform a variety of duties to help efficiently run a medical organization. Without an administrative assistant, the daily tasks and organizational needs of a clinic might not get completed. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants are also tasked with transcribing dictation and preparing reports for physicians and other medical personnel.1
Other daily secretary and administrative assistant duties, according to the BLS, can include:1
- Answering the phone, taking messages and transferring calls
- Scheduling patient appointments
- Updating event calendars for office personnel
- Scheduling staff meetings
- Handling incoming and outgoing mail
- Creating reports and memos
- Maintaining databases and filing systems (both electronic forms and paper documents)
- Perform basic bookkeeping
What Will I Learn?
Health Care Office Procedures
Medical and Dental Insurance
Anatomy, Physiology, and Terminology
Check out our guide on becoming a Medical Administrative Assistant.
At the core of a doctor’s office or medical clinic is a medical administrative assistant. This person answers the phone, schedules appointments, checks in patients, files paperwork and maintains patient databases. This fast-paced job requires the right person who can help take care of the small details at a clinic to keep it running. He or she should also have good people skills to work with patients and medical personnel to create a positive environment. If this sounds like you, learn more about the career of a medical administrative assistant.
Medical Administrative Assistant FAQ
What is a medical administrative assistant?
A medical admin assistant is a healthcare professional that works in the front office of a medical or healthcare facility. While they may interact with patients and family, it is in a non-medical capacity. A short list of their responsibilities can include scheduling appointments, dealing with insurance companies, handling patient records, managing the office and more. These essential workers do more than keep the lights on. By looking after the business health of their organizations, they give patient-facing medical professionals the ability to continue to provide medical care.
What does a medical administrative assistant do?
Medical administrative assistants perform a number of vital functions to ensure the business health of a medical office, facility or system. They help medical offices run efficiently and ensure the day-to-day operations of medical facilities stay on track. From assisting patients with paperwork to scheduling appointments, medical administrative assistants perform a number of front-office and clerical functions. They also assist the medical practice with daily office operations including ordering supplies, bookkeeping and sorting mail.
How do I become a medical administrative assistant?
A structured education—college or technical—is often useful to help learn and develop the skills used in medical admins assistant positions with healthcare organizations. At Carrington College, our Medical Administrative Assistant certificate program offers the education you could use to start your career in as little as nine months. It covers healthcare office procedures, insurance issues, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology and more. Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a certificate—demonstrable evidence of your opportunity to develop the professional skills required of the job.
What skills will I acquire in a Medical Administrative Assistant program?
Your program should help prepare for different administrative skills that are required in a medical office. At Carrington College, our certificate program explores the professional responsibilities to keep healthcare offices running smoothly and efficiently. You will cover how to schedule appointments, handle patient invoices and payments, organize patient records, fill out forms, create reports, plan staff meetings, maintain databases, manage front offices and more.
What is a medical administrative assistant?
A medical admin assistant is a healthcare professional that works in the front office of a medical or healthcare facility. While they may interact with patients and family, it is in a non-medical capacity. A short list of their responsibilities can include scheduling appointments, dealing with insurance companies, handling patient records, managing the office and more. These essential workers do more than keep the lights on. By looking after the business health of their organizations, they give patient-facing medical professionals the ability to continue to provide medical care.
What does a medical administrative assistant do?
Medical administrative assistants perform a number of vital functions to ensure the business health of a medical office, facility or system. They help medical offices run efficiently and ensure the day-to-day operations of medical facilities stay on track. From assisting patients with paperwork to scheduling appointments, medical administrative assistants perform a number of front-office and clerical functions. They also assist the medical practice with daily office operations including ordering supplies, bookkeeping and sorting mail.
How do I become a medical administrative assistant?
A structured education—college or technical—is often useful to help learn and develop the skills used in medical admins assistant positions with healthcare organizations. At Carrington College, our Medical Administrative Assistant certificate program offers the education you could use to start your career in as little as nine months. It covers healthcare office procedures, insurance issues, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology and more. Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a certificate—demonstrable evidence of your opportunity to develop the professional skills required of the job.
What skills will I acquire in a Medical Administrative Assistant program?
Your program should help prepare for different administrative skills that are required in a medical office. At Carrington College, our certificate program explores the professional responsibilities to keep healthcare offices running smoothly and efficiently. You will cover how to schedule appointments, handle patient invoices and payments, organize patient records, fill out forms, create reports, plan staff meetings, maintain databases, manage front offices and more.