We sat down with our Medical Assistant instructor and asked a few things a student may need to succeed at the American College of Healthcare and Technology’s MA program. Our Medical Assistant program is an 8-month program at our Riverside and Huntington Park campuses.
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Have a positive attitude. Negative attitudes are going to turn into negative grades. If you don’t have much experience in the medical field you will need a positive attitude because there is going to be a lot of new information for you to process.
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Be confident. If you don’t think you can do it, you will not be able to do it. You will be doing a lot of stuff in this program and you need to perform them confidently or you may never be able to perform these things because your fear will hold you back.
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Patience is one of the most important things a student needs to have. Some of the stuff you will learn will not be easy, but if you are patient and stick to it you will succeed in this program. You will need patience as well as in dealing with patients who are sick and not in good moods.
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Be self-motivated. If you don’t want to succeed we can’t make you succeed but what we’ll do is give you all the tools necessary to. But you need to want to learn and get to know things and work on everything on your own as well as in class to be the best you can be.
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Have a strong work ethic. Having a strong work ethic is going to help you get through school, but it is also going to help you in your work as well. Putting in those extra hours of studying, or that over time will help you be better and will get you the attention of your peers and supervisors.
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Have goals. Have a goal, set a goal and achieve that goal. Make your goals small and attainable but also have a goal that you have to work towards so it will keep you motivated.
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Be outgoing. You are going to be working with all sorts of people as a medical assistant. Be outgoing with your patients and make them feel comfortable in an uncomfortable time.
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Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to fail or ask questions or anything. A lot of this is going to be new to you and if you fail once in understanding something don’t quit and ask questions if you are having trouble understanding.
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Be a team player. You are going to be working with all different kinds of people in the doctor’s office. While working in both the front and back of the office you need to be a team player to make sure everything in the office is running smoothly and professionally.
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Have ambition. Have the ambition to be the best. Working on your craft outside of school and work will make you a better medical assistant. Have ambitions to move up, and to get better grades and getting that promotion. It’s something to work for and a great attitude to have to make you better.