How to get into Medical Assisting Career?
Do you want your job to be impactful as well as rewarding? Are you looking for a career that allows you to connect with a variety of people? Do you enjoy multi-tasking and like challenges? If your response to the above questions is yes, then you may be an ideal fit for a medical assisting career.
Medical assistants are allied health professionals responsible for providing a multitude of services to doctors, podiatrists, chiropractors and other healthcare practitioners.
Depending on the nature of their work, training and the laws of the state they are employed in, medical assistants may be administrative medical assistants or clinical medical assistants. While the former provide only administrative and clerical support to healthcare practitioners, the latter may also perform basic clinical duties.
Why a Career in Medical Assisting?
There are many reasons for pursuing a career in medical assisting. If you haven’t heard it already, let me tell you – medical assistants are in demand and how! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of medical assistants is projected to grow by 31% through 2020, at a much faster than average pace for all occupations. *
Next comes the compensation for medical assistants. At $9.78 - $16.73 per hour, medical assistants may not be taking home what can be termed a “fat” paycheck, but it’s definitely a decent enough income with the potential to grow as they accumulate experience and expertise.**
And finally, medical assisting makes for an extremely flexible career. While a lot of them work a 40-hour week from Monday to Friday, flexi timings may be a possibility for medical assistants employed at 24-hour healthcare facilities. Some administrative medical assistants also work virtually, which means they provide their services from their home.
Getting Started on a Medical Assisting Career
If you’ve decided to get into the medical assisting career while still in high school, it may help to take classes in math, biology, chemistry, etc. Completing these courses will lay a strong foundation for postsecondary medical assisting training.
Although there are no formal educational requirements to become a medical assistant other than a high school diploma, but employers may prefer candidates who have some sort of training in the field. Just so you are ahead of competition, make sure you complete medical assisting training from a career school or community college before starting your job quest.
A medical assistant course may take anywhere from a few months to a year for completion and typically includes lessons in basic anatomy, medical terminology, medical office management, healthcare reimbursement system, etc. Some programs may also include lab work to provide graduates clinical competencies.
Certifications are optional, but certified medical assistants are certain to enjoy better prospects than their non-certified counterparts. Four certifications are available to medical assistants from different professional organizations:
- Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
- Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)
- National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA)
- Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
Out of these, CMA is perhaps the most sought after credential among medical assistants. Conferred by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), this is the only certification that requires candidates to graduate from a postsecondary medical assistant course. It is granted to candidates who pass an exam.
Once you are duly trained and certified, finding a job will not be hard given the demand for medical assistants. Whether you find employment at a private practice or a hospital, make sure you make the most of opportunity provided to you and perform your job with great gusto every day!
Sources:
*bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm#tab-6
**payscale.com/research/US/Job=Medical_Assistant/Hourly_Rate
About Author:
Nancy is a 36-year old stay at home mom of two. She worked as a medical assistant for five years beforetaking a break to be with her children. Her experience as a medical assistant gave her valuable insights in to the medical billing and coding industry, which she likes to share with others through her writing. Medical billing and coding programs often find mention in her writings. Her expertise in Medical billing and coding training stems from her extensive research on the subject.
Her other interests include gardening and baking. She stays with her husband and two daughters.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
It’s hard to come by knowledgeable people in this particular subject, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks