Formación en historia clínica electrónica en el programa de asistencia médica de First Institute
marzo 31, 2025

The job duties of a medical assistant have both clinical and administrative components. One of the important administrative responsibilities of medical assistants is working with electronic health records. In this article, we’ll explain what electronic health records are and how the training program at First Institute prepares students for this aspect of working as a medical assistant.
What Are Electronic Health Records?
For many years, it’s been standard practice in doctor’s offices and healthcare facilities to keep records on patients’ conditions, test results, treatments, prescriptions, and vital statistics. This helps ensure that healthcare professionals can always consider the context of a patient’s complete medical history when considering a diagnosis or treatment.
In the past, these records were kept in hard copy paper files, but in the modern day these have been replaced by electronic health record (EHR) systems. EHR systems store important patient information in standardized digital formats so that it can be backed up and easily transferred between different healthcare facilities. EHR data also allows physicians to more easily track changes in a patient’s health across time, and by combining records from many sources into large pools, medical researchers can gain valuable insights based on population demographics.
EHR Training for Medical Assisting Jobs
First Institute integrates Electronic Health Record (EHR) training into its Medical Assisting curriculum through a combination of online classes and hands-on training. The program includes instruction in health records management, which covers EHR systems. Students learn medical billing and coding, utilizing CPT-4 & ICD codebooks, which are essential components of modern EHR systems.
The curriculum also focuses on medical office administration and communications, which involves training on EHR interfaces and workflows commonly used in medical offices. Additionally, students receive instruction in clinical procedures and lab procedures, which would involve using EHR systems to document patient information and test results.
To provide real-world experience, First Institute’s Medical Assisting program includes a 160-hour (10-week) externship in a medical office setting. During this externship, students work with real patients and healthcare providers, which involves hands-on practice with EHR systems used in actual medical practices.
Become a Medical Assistant with First Institute
The medical assistant training program at First Institute can have you prepared to start your new career in healthcare in just 50 weeks. The program thoroughly covers both administrative aspects of the job, like working with electronic health records, and clinical responsibilities, such as lab procedures. Enroll today or contact us with questions.