Methodist College Recognizes National Medical Assistant Appreciation Week

Methodist College - UnityPoint Health has joined the American Association of Medical Assistants  (AAMA) in celebrating National Medical Assistant Appreciation Week, October 21-25.  This week, representatives of the Methodist College Medical Assistant Certificate program sent a small token of appreciation to all of the medical assistants working in facilities in UnityPoint Health clinics and hospitals in the Central Illinois Region. 

This is the first year that alumni of the Methodist College Medical Assistant Certificate program  can join in the recognition. Since January, eight individuals have graduated from the Methodist College Medical Assistant program and all are employed as medical assistants in their communities. In September, the Methodist College program received initial accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).

According to the AAMA, medical assisting is an allied health profession whose practitioners function as members of the health care delivery team and perform administrative and clinical procedures. With their unique versatility, medical assistants are proving to be the allied health professional of choice for this decade and beyond. Medical assisting is one of the nation’s careers growing much faster than average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Medical Assistant program at Methodist College can be completed in as little as 18 months, on a part-time or full-time basis. Some courses may be offered in the evening and online, making it convenient for individuals who work or have other responsibilities.