The Medical Assistant program prepares individuals to assist physicians in their offices or other medical settings. Medical assistants perform a wide range of duties. The medical assistant is responsible for medical and surgical asepsis, taking vital signs, assisting the physician with examinations and surgery, administering ECGs, and administering medications. The business/administrative duties include patient reception, appointment making, record keeping, filing, bookkeeping, insurance handling, typing medical correspondence, and transcription and microcomputer applications. Laboratory functions include specimen collection, performance of basic laboratory tests, and microscopic work.