Lewistown Opens Medical Assistant Lab

by Joan Andrews
South Hills Public Relations Specialist

LEWISTOWN — South Hills School of Business & Technology in Lewistown held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Medical Assistant (MA) program on March 24. Lewistown Mayor Deborah Bargo, District Attorney Dave Molek, along with members of the business community and Chamber of Commerce were in attendance.

South Hills now offers a Medical Assistant Associate in Specialized Business degree program. The MA career is one of the fastest growing occupations in the medical field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected the MA field to grow 29 percent through 2022, and the healthcare system is looking for people with multiple skills and talents.

Medical Assistants use both administrative and clinical skills in a number of medical settings. South Hills’ 2-year program will prepare students to perform tasks such as medical records management, billing, and a range of clinical procedures to assist physicians during office visits.

Medical Assistants will also be able to perform basic laboratory tests, medical coding and billing procedures. Career opportunities open within the field: Medical Laboratory Assistant, Medical Records Assistant, Electrocardiography Technician and Phlebotomist.

Upon completion of their coursework, all students will also be required to complete an internship within the medical community which will provide them with relevant hands-on training.

Photo Caption

Left to right: Tiffany Walden (Medical Assistant student), Barbara Harer (Director of South Hills Lewistown), Maralyn Mazza (President of South Hills), S. Paul Mazza III (Vice President of South Hills), and Taylor Yetter (Medical Assistant student)