Anyone hoping to work as a medical assistant needs to acquire the right skills. Attending a medical assistant program will accomplish this task. By enrolling at a trade school or many other colleges, you can expect to receive either a diploma or certificate in as little as a year, or go further to attain your associates degree in 2 years. But just what is included in this sort of training? To be prepared for the job, an accredited course will teach you all the medical assistant requirements. Working on office duties as well as being an aid for doctors are some of the responsibilities outlined in a medical assistant description. There will be a combination in your studies of office tasks like bookkeeping, typing and insurance partnered with practical training in physiology, anatomy and lab work. Other training includes office work, diagnoses, medication and ethics. Gaining hands on experience will most likely be necessary to start work, so an internship is recommended. Each state and medical practice dictates different requirements for their medical assistants, so you will only know your job description once you begin.