If you're on the brink of deciding a career path for yourself, here are a few reasons why medical assistance may be a great field to enter right now:
- The Department of Labor has ranked medical assistance as one of the fastest-growing professions in the decade.
- Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow much faster than average in the same time period.
- Medical assistants are expected to enjoy excellent employment opportunities owing to the increase in the demand for healthcare professionals.
And we haven't even started talking about salaries, benefits, and other perks of this job yet (see salary info below).
If we have managed to convince you to at least start thinking about a medical administrative assistant career seriously, then read on for what it means and takes to be one!
Medical Administrative Assistant Career
The core job of a medical assistant is to provide administrative and clerical support to healthcare practitioners, although some of them may have clinical duties as well. These men and women work behind the scenes and away from the arc lights to ensure smooth operations in a healthcare facility.
Employed in a variety of settings that range from huge public hospitals to small private practices, medical assistants perform a multitude of tasks as part of their day-to-day work. Although the exact nature of their work may depend on the employer, location, and size of the facility they're employed in, typically the general duties of a medical assistant include:
- Welcoming patients into the facility
- Collecting info from patients
- Helping them fill out forms
- Answering telephone calls
- Scheduling appointments
- Managing correspondence
- Handling book-keeping
Medical assistants also perform certain duties that are specific to a medical office and these include:
- Maintaining patient records
- Filling out health insurance forms
- Assisting with billing procedures
- Handling admissions
- Scheduling diagnostic tests
- and other such tasks
So far as clinical duties are concerned, they depend on your state law. Some states may allow medical assistants to perform only basic clinical duties, while others permit more advanced procedures. They are required to work under a physician's supervision when performing all clinical tasks, which may include:
- Recording patients' medical history
- Preparing patients for examination
- Assisting physicians in the examination
- Taking down patients' vital signs
- Collecting samples for lab tests
- Sterilizing medical equipment
- Administering injections and medication
- Drawing blood and removing sutures
Medical Administrative Assistant Training:
If you are interested in a medical administrative assistant career, there are several paths you can take to get there. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself for the job:
- Get some hands-on training in a clinical facility, although this may be a little difficult in the current job market.
- Complete a two-year Associate degree program from a community or junior college if you have the resources for it.
- Enroll for a medical administrative assistant training program at a post-secondary vocational school.
Career Step’s Medical Administrative Assistant with EHR program
prepares you to create and update patients’ electronic health records
and to keep medical offices running smoothly. This school has a great reputation.
Irrespective of how you choose to get trained for a medical administrative assistant career, one thing that is likely to impress employers across the board is certification. Although certification is not a prerequisite for this job, if it leads to fatter paychecks and more employment opportunities, then it's definitely worth a shot.
Organizations like the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the Association of Medical Technologists (AMT) offer certifications to professionals in the field.
Article by Nancy F Higgins. Nancy is a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom of two. She worked as a medical assistant for five years before taking a break to be with her children. Her experience as a medical assistant gave her valuable insights into the medical transcription industry, which she likes to share with others through her writing. Medical transcription training is often mentioned in her writings. Being a SAHM, Nancy is a huge exponent of online vocational training programs that provide women like her the power to be their own boss. She stays in San Diego, CA with her husband and two daughters.
Update from publisher
The use of electronic health records is growing, and gaining experience with this software ensures you are marketable in your job search.
How much can you make as a Medical Administrative Assistant?
Salaries for medical administrative assistants vary by employer, geographic location, and experience.
According to Glassdoor, the national average income in the US
for a medical administrative assistant is $44.950 a year.
Source: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/medical-administrative-assistant-salary-SRCH_KO0,32.htm
Career Step mentions the following:
“Medical administrative assistants may also be able to increase their earnings by obtaining industry certifications like the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and the Certified Electronic Health Record Specialist (CEHRS) credentials. Preparation for these exams is built into Career Step’s Medical Administrative Assistant with EHR program so that customers who finish the program are ready to hit the ground running.”
Find out more about Career Step's training program as a Medical Administrative Assistant here.
Career Outlook
Career Step states that “189,00 new jobs are expected nationwide
by 2022 for medical administrative assistants.”
If you are interested in finding out more about getting a medical administrative assistant career, you can get additional information from Career Step.
Related jobs in healthcare
If you're interested in a career in the healthcare industry where you can perform both clinical and administrative tasks, check out a Career as a Medical Assistant.
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