Become a medical assistant

Earn a Diploma or Degree and Start Your Medical Assisting Career

Medical assisting is one of the nation's fastest growing and more stable professions.

A medical assistant helps to keep the offices of health practitioners running effectively, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In small offices, medical assistants can handle both administrative and clinical tasks and report to an office manager, physician or health practitioner. In larger practices, medical assistants usually specialize in a particular area. Some specialized assistants have additional duties. A few examples include ophthalmic, optometric and podiatric assistants. Would you turn to research paper writers for hire?

Potential Medical Assisting Duties

Here's a snapshot of the varied administrative and clinical duties a medical assistant is expected to perform.

Administrative Duties:

• File and update patient medical records
• Complete insurance forms
• Arrange for hospital admissions and lab services
• Answer telephones and greet patients
• Schedule appointments
• Handle billing, correspondence and bookkeeping

Clinical Duties:

• Record vital signs and take medical histories
• Explain treatment procedures to patients
• Prepare patients for and assist during examinations
• Sterilize medical instruments
• Prepare/administer medications and authorize drug refills as directed by a physician
• Perform basic laboratory tests
• Draw blood
• Prepare patients for x-rays and take electrocardiograms

Medical Assisting Job Opportunities

Medical assisting jobs are expected to be abundant for years to come, and job opportunities should especially be great for those with formal training or experience, as well as certification. That’s because the population continues to age and technological advances in medicine keep increasing, creating a need for more health care workers.

In addition, the number of group practices and other health care facilities that need employees who can handle both administrative and clinical duties continues to grow. The outpatient setting also is a fast growing sector of the industry that is requiring more medical assistants. A need to replace workers leaving the profession also is strong.

Medical Assisting Education

While some medical assistants receive on-the-job training, many complete 1-year or 2-year programs. One-year programs usually result in a certificate or diploma, while 2-year programs result in an associate degree. These courses are available at vocational-technical high schools, post secondary vocational schools and community colleges. Courses include anatomy, physiology, pathology, medical terminology, typing, transcription, record keeping, accounting and insurance processing.

Other training includes the administration of medications, first aid, medical law and ethics, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, office practices, patient relations and lab techniques. Applicants usually need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter a program, and it’s recommended that one take high school courses such as math, health, biology, computers and office skills to prepare for such a program.

Medical Assisting Accreditation and Certification

Accredited programs usually include an internship that offers practical experience in physicians’ offices, hospitals or other facilities. Many different organizations can accredit a medical assisting program. According to the American Association of Medical Assistants, it’s encouraged that individuals graduate from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

The American Association of Medical Assistants cites the CMA (AAMA) as the gold standard of medical assisting professionalism. To become a certified medical assistant, individuals must pass the CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination administered by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants. Although certification isn’t required to be a medical assistant, it does show that a medical assistant meets certain standards of competence.

Various associations award certification to medical assistants, and one also can become certified in a specialty such as podiatry or optometry. Medical assistants can additionally advance to teach medical assisting or pursue more education to become nurses, or they also can become an office manager or serve in other administrative support occupation roles.