Learn how to become a medical assistant at CLC information sessions

Preparing for a career as a medical assistant will be the focus of a series of information sessions being offered at the College of Lake County's Lakeshore Campus.

CLC's medical assisting program is holding the information sessions in Room S305 at the Lakeshore Campus, 33 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, on the following dates and times: March 3 at noon, March 16 at 10 a.m. and April 13 at 10 a.m. Information on the college's phlebotomy program will also be covered.

Medical assistants perform a variety of frontline administrative and clinical tasks in physicians' offices, including maintaining electronic medical records, entering diagnostic coding for insurance, drawing blood, taking patient vital signs and assisting the physician.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of medical assistants will grow by 23 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than average for all occupations. In 2014, the median annual salary was $29,960.

The admissions process has been streamlined beginning in the Fall 2016 Semester, according to Deb Haasch, R.N., Medical Assisting department chair. The National League of Nursing's Pre-Admission Examination will no longer be required, and there will no longer be a screening form or screening committee.

"However, several current enrollment requirements remain, including the achievement of a CLC cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above, attendance at an information session and proving proficiency in reading, writing and algebra. There are also two new requirements: A student must be at least 18 years of age and have completed a course in human form and function (BIO 111) or two courses-human anatomy (BIO 244) and physiology (BIO 245)," according to Haasch.

"The college's accredited and comprehensive training program offers a myriad of excellent career opportunities in medical assisting at a cost significantly lower than those offered by for-profit colleges," said Haasch. "Our students are well-prepared to work in this growing career field. The program's externship offers an on-the-job training experience that often leads to full-time jobs."

CLC's medical assistant program is offered at the Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review board.

Students complete an exam to become a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA). Recent CLC graduates had a 92 percent pass rate on the national certification exam, far exceeding the average national score of 67 percent, Haasch said.

The college offers an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, the Medical Assisting certificate as well as a short-term certificate for the healthcare office assistant. For more information, contact Deb Haasch at (847) 543-2176 or dhaasch@clcillinois.edu or visit www.clcillinois.edu/programs/moa.