Online Medical Office Administration Assistant Degree Program Info

Medical administration assistants perform a number of specialized tasks, including patient information coding and transcription. Students who earn an online associate's degree in the field may increase their employment prospects by taking various certification exams. An associate's program takes two years to complete.

Online Medical Administration Assistant Associate's Degree Program Overview

Individuals with an interest in medical office management and technology can enroll in online administration assistant associate's programs. Students learn professional skills like medical report transcription, classified document management and patient-provider communication. Related fields of study include healthcare administration and human resources.

Program Information and Requirements

Associate's programs are offered in a hybrid format. Once students complete the online portion of the curriculum, they are required to enroll in a field-based internship. Because audio and video applications are used to deliver course content, a computer with Internet access is necessary. Lectures and class notes are often stored on a school's private server and may be accessed at a student's convenience. A typical online associate's program can be completed in two years.

List of Common Associate's-Level Medical Administration Assistant Courses

General education requirements include English composition, small group presentation and computer spreadsheet courses. The majority of a program's curriculum is devoted to topics in medical administration.

Introduction to Healthcare Administration Course

Medical office assistants are responsible for understanding the laws and regulations pertaining to patient documentation. In this course, students discuss information management, workplace ethics and confidentiality.

Medical Coding Procedures Course

Students learn how to use the International Classification of Diseases system (ICD-9-CM) to code diagnostic sheets and patient exam records.

Terminology in Healthcare Course

This course serves as an introduction to the technical language of medicine. Emphasis is placed on memorization of physiological conditions, medical procedures and body systems.

Medical Records Course

Students examine the specialized techniques used to manage patient information. Topics include written documentation procedures, electronic filing and records storage.

Career Information for Graduates

Recipients of a medical administrative assistant associate's degree may find entry-level work as office assistants, medical coders or transcriptionists. In 2009, medical office assistants earned between $22,000 and $31,000, while medical coders made between $27,000 and $40,000, as reported by Payscale.com. Medical transcriptionists earned between $25,000 and $37,000 during the same period.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical office assistants will increase by an estimated 34% between 2008 and 2018. Employment of medical coders is projected to grow by 20%, and transcriptionist employment is expected to increase by 11% during the same timeframe.

Continuing Education Information

Individuals who attain certification in their administrative sub-field may have more opportunities for employment than those who don't. Associate's program graduates are eligible to take the Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT) exam or one of the multiple coding certification exams offered by the American Academy of Professional Coders. The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity offers a Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) certification to individuals who pass a level-1 transcription exam.