Medical Assistant Internship Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
For aspiring medical assistants (MAs), gaining practical experience is crucial for a successful career. Medical assistant internships and externships offer valuable hands-on training and a closer look at the daily responsibilities of an MA. While both options share similarities, they differ in structure, compensation, and long-term benefits. This article explores the requirements, duties, and differences between medical assistant internships and externships to help you make an informed choice.
Internship vs. Externship: Key Differences
It's important to distinguish between internships and externships. Internships typically last several months to a year and focus on fulfilling specific duties in-depth. They are often more integrated within the team and may be paid. Externships, on the other hand, may be shorter but are highly focused on learning opportunities. Students in an externship primarily shadow working professionals, observing their work and assisting when asked.
Medical Assistant Externship: A Closer Look
An externship is a hands-on training experience where students shadow professional medical assistants. This allows them to gain real-world experience in administrative and clinical duties within a healthcare setting. Externs receive direct feedback from experienced mentors. Externships are typically provided throughout a medical assistant program to ensure students gain practical skills alongside medical knowledge and theory.
At St. Louis College of Health Careers, students are placed in externships that provide the real-world exposure needed to prepare them for their professional roles after graduation and certification.
During an externship, students are expected to actively observe and participate, asking questions and requesting feedback to gain a deeper understanding of patient care. They may assist with administrative tasks like scheduling appointments and managing records, as well as basic clinical tasks under strict supervision, including blood draws. The school typically arranges the externship, although students may be able to choose between participating healthcare facilities.
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Focus and Learning
Externships emphasize clinical observation and learning. You'll follow seasoned MAs and gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of healthcare operations. You’ll also have opportunities to apply the knowledge you’ve learned in class. Externships are a lower-pressure way to ease into the profession while still building important skills for your future career.
Eligibility and Program Requirements
Externships are typically part of your MA program’s curriculum. This means you may not need to do anything other than complete the required courses and progress through the program to take part. Externships are generally easier to land than internships since your school will likely arrange placements and other requirements are minimal. You may need to submit proof of enrollment and your up-to-date vaccination records.
Duration and Scheduling
Externships are often shorter than internships, typically lasting between 4-6 weeks with 5 to 15 hours per week at the clinical site. Since externships are usually part of your school’s program, clinical hours are often scheduled around your existing course load. This makes MA externships a flexible option for students with busy lives.
Work Settings and Supervision Styles
Externships typically take place in outpatient clinics or physicians’ offices. You’ll primarily shadow experienced professionals, including MAs, nurses, and doctors. Unlike an internship, you’ll have less direct participation in patient care and administrative tasks. During an externship, supervision is constant, and tasks are closely guided to facilitate learning in a safe environment.
Duties and Hands-On Experience Level
Externships lean heavily on observation. You may have fewer opportunities for hands-on experience than you would during an internship-and most won’t involve patient care. Depending on the facility’s policies and your training level, you may be able to help prepare patient exam rooms and procedures, but your role will mainly be limited to observation of patient interactions and administrative duties.
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Compensation, Credit, and Costs
Nearly all MA externships are unpaid. However, they are considered a mandatory part of many medical assisting programs. As a result, you usually won’t pay any additional fees beyond your tuition.
Career Impact and Job Prospects
Externships are less likely to lead to an immediate job, but they still give you a foot in the door. Completing an MA externship also gives you a better sense of how different facilities operate and what type of full-time position you may want to pursue. Even if most externships don’t come with a job offer at the end, they are still a great way to build professional relationships and look good on your resume.
Medical Assistant Internship: An In-Depth Look
In today’s employment climate, a medical assistant internship is often considered the major career entry point for new graduates. Medical assistants who serve as interns can gain invaluable experience in the administrative, clinical, and general work responsibilities in cooperation with established professionals.
Administrative Duties
During the internship, you will be expected to perform certain administrative duties under the direction and guidance of a healthcare supervisor. While the specific duties may vary, you can expect to:
- Manage communications: Help in the completion and updating of patient charts and other records while meeting HIPAA regulations.
- Relay messages: Answer phone calls, take messages, and relay messages to doctors, nurses, and other staff members accurately.
- Schedule appointments: Learn to effectively schedule patient appointments according to the guidelines and practices of the office.
- Handle insurance, billing, and finances: This may include coordinating benefits, verifying patient insurance coverage, calculating patient financial responsibility, filing insurance claims, processing billing statements, making collections calls, and more.
- Order supplies: Order and purchase clinical and office supplies from a variety of vendors.
- Documenting information: Responsible for documenting a variety of information in both written and electronic formats, requiring the ability to use computers and software programs.
Clinical Duties
In addition to administrative tasks, you will also be expected to perform a variety of clinical duties under the supervision of a physician, nurse, or established medical assistant. These duties will be performed to very specific standards and may include:
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- Preparing patients for examinations: Leading patients to examination rooms, taking and logging patient vital signs and medical histories, explaining procedures, and setting up equipment for the doctor’s arrival. Interns are also often responsible for cleaning and preparing examination rooms after a patient’s departure.
- Laboratory tasks: Collecting and handling samples for pathological testing as well as assisting with injectable medications or patients.
- Managing supplies: Sorting and organizing laboratory materials, keeping examination rooms stocked, and inspecting the structure and integrity of medical implements.
Focus and Learning
Internships provide immersive, hands-on experience where you’ll practice patient care, complete administrative tasks, and receive direct feedback. These roles often simulate a full-time work week, giving you a good feel for what daily life is like as a medical assistant. You’ll walk away with sharper clinical skills and potentially even a job offer from an employer that you are familiar with.
Eligibility and Program Requirements
You’ll typically need to complete most of your medical assisting program’s core courses before qualifying for an internship. These experiences are often reserved for students who are nearing graduation and serve as a bridge between school and the real world. Some internships will also require a background check, immunization records, a resume, and letters of recommendation. If the internship you’re pursuing is competitive, you may even need to complete a formal interview process.
The candidate must have graduated from or be about to complete a medical assisting program accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES. Completing students may register for the exam as soon all classroom coursework (excluding practicum/externship) has been completed. Recent graduates are those who apply for the exam within 12 months of graduation. At a minimum, a transcript (an unofficial transcript may be submitted for initial review, but if approved, an official transcript will be required) and an attestation form. In some cases, additional documentation may be required.
There is no fee to enter the program and submit documentation for review to determine eligibility.
Duration and Scheduling
Most MA internship programs last between 8-12 weeks and require a steady time commitment. Students often spend between 20 and 40 hours per week at their clinical site, usually following a fixed schedule that aligns with the location’s standard hours. Though your supervisor may be able to accommodate your schedule, internships often have limited flexibility due to their high hour requirements.
Work Settings and Supervision Styles
You may spend all your time at one location or rotating through hospitals, private practices, and urgent care clinics. You’ll work closely under the supervision of practicing MAs, nurses, and doctors. During this time, you’ll receive supervision and mentorship from these professionals, while also having enough space to practice applying your skills and grow in your role. As you progress through your internship and demonstrate your competence, your supervisor may give you more freedom to work independently.
Duties and Hands-On Experience Level
In an MA internship, expect to engage in real-world clinical work, such as taking vital signs, drawing blood, entering data into electronic health records (EHRs), assisting with procedures, and managing front desk tasks. You’ll operate within the MA scope of practice with supervision from a professional at all times.
Compensation, Credit, and Costs
Some internships offer stipends or hourly pay for your time. However, these programs are highly competitive, and you’ll need to be a top candidate to land one. Most paid MA internships are arranged outside a school program, so you may also need to coordinate the experience independently. The majority of MA internships are unpaid but can still count toward academic credit or certification hours.
Career Impact and Job Prospects
MA internships are often a direct pipeline to employment after completing your academic program. Many employers view your internship as a trial period and will extend a job offer at the end if you perform well. Even if you don’t receive an offer, internships are a valuable networking opportunity that can lead to letters of recommendation for positions at another location.
Choosing the Right Path: Internship or Externship?
Both internships and externships offer substantial benefits for students in a medical assisting program, but one may better suit your schedule or career goals.
Choose an Internship if You:
- Want hands-on clinical and administrative experience with progressive responsibility as you complete the program.
- Can commit to a longer time frame and have plenty of availability during normal working hours.
- Are seeking a paid opportunity or academic credit for your time.
- Hope to turn your placement into a full-time job immediately after completing the experience.
- Meet advanced eligibility requirements and are prepared to spend more time on the application process.
Choose an Externship if You:
- Are just starting your clinical training and aren’t sure what specialty or clinical environment you want to work in.
- Want a low-pressure, observation-first environment with plenty of opportunities to learn from experienced professionals.
- Need a shorter program with more flexible scheduling to fit around other responsibilities.
- Are fulfilling a required component of your academic MA program.
- Don’t yet have the experience or meet the requirements to apply for a more competitive internship.
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