Medical Assistant Careers
Join Community Health Network as a medical assistant and grow your career at your own pace!
Medical assistants work in ambulatory healthcare sites (e.g., physician offices) and assist providers by facilitating patient visits and procedures, routine laboratory tests, referrals, and quality outcomes for the patients of a practice. MAs may take medical histories, prepare patients for procedures and provide instructions, collect lab specimens/blood draws, help with wound care/dressings, prep medications/injections, and more. At Community, MAs also participate in network quality initiatives regarding best practices.
As a Community MA, you'll have a wide choice of practice areas to suit your healthcare interests. MAs are essential within both primary care and specialty care offices, from family medicine and pediatrics to sleep medicine and orthopedics, urgent care and school clinics, and more! You're sure to find a workplace that inspires you to be an exceptional caregiver. Apply today!
Medical Assistant: Day in the Life
Explore the videos to the left to learn what it's like to be a medical assistant at different Community campuses. Medical assistants at Community have numerous opportunities for career entry and growth, including an on-the-job MA Training Program and an MA Extern program.
MA Clinical Training Opportunities
Medical assistants have numerous career growth opportunities at Community. We offer rich, hands-on experiences to grow your skills and take your career to the next level. Explore Community's MA training opportunities below.
Medical Assistant Externship Program
This program offers high-quality clinical training experiences for students enrolled in affiliated MA training programs. This specialized offering is designed to strengthen clinical and educational preparation as well as open the door to employment opportunities. Placements are primarily in family medicine and internal medicine offices, but some specialty options are available.
On the Job MA Training Program
Get paid while you learn to become an MA! Community developed this program to help meet the growing demand for certified clinical medical assistants. Entry into this program is by interview and job offer selection only. New hires will learn to become MAs while working and receiving a paycheck. Those selected will have a one-year work commitment in the office you were hired. Training cohorts are offered several times throughout the year.
Nurse Scholars Program
Community Health Network and Ivy Tech Community College have partnered for the Nurse Scholars program. The program is open to anyone with healthcare experience, including MAs. Community MAs may be able to obtain an associate’s degree in nursing through this program. Eligible nursing students must be admitted into the ASN Traditional Track at Ivy Tech Indianapolis, Hamilton County, Kokomo or Anderson campus.
Nurse Scholar students work as a senior patient care technician at Community Health Network while in nursing school. After college graduation, nurse scholar students are required to work for Community Health Network for three years as a full-time registered nurse.
MA Career Pathways
Medical assistants play key roles on Community’s care teams, and MA positions provide satisfying work today along with valuable preparation for tomorrow. For those interested in advancing their healthcare careers from their MA foundation, Community offers several MA career pathways.
- Certified Medical Assistant - Most MA roles at Community require obtaining certification within six months of hire. There are a number of certification programs accepted by Community.
- Leadership (Practice Manager) - A medical assistant role is a logical step toward a leadership role, such as a job in practice or office management. The best path toward a leadership role begins with additional education, such as a degree in healthcare leadership, administration or management. Many programs can be pursued online and while working part-time or full-time.
- Cardiac Monitoring (EKG) Technician - Background as an MA is helpful in pursuing this type of career, which requires prior healthcare experience. Cardiac techs perform diagnostic tests to help providers identify and treat cardiovascular conditions, and prevent heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.
- Surgical Technologist - An MA position provides a logical path toward this profession, which requires prior healthcare experience and certification. Surgical technologists work on the surgical team, generally in the operating room. Click the link to learn more about CSTs at Community.
- Registered Nurse or LPN - Moving from MA to RN is a logical path. Nurses have direct patient care responsibilities, including diagnosis, charting, and creating care plans within the larger care team. To become an RN, MAs will need additional education, such as an associate's (ASN) or bachelor's degree (BSN) in nursing. Sometimes, credits from an MA program can transfer to a nursing program and shorten the length of time to receive the degree. An LPN degree also serves as a stepping stone to becoming an RN. RN roles tend to have higher pay than LPN roles.
Educational Assistance
Community Health Network’s educational assistance program helps caregivers obtain education through tuition assistance to enhance their job skills and pursue new career paths at Community. With preapproval, eligible employees may pursue an academic degree through external, accredited educational institutions. This includes undergraduate coursework required to become an RN, through either an ASN or BSN program. Reimbursement may be available of up to $2,000 per calendar year for benefits-eligible full-time caregivers or up to $1,000 per calendar year for benefits-eligible part-time caregivers.