Medical Assistant Career
Medical assistants work in doctor's offices and hospitals, performing both clinical and clerical tasks. You can join this growing healthcare career by earning an associate's degree or diploma.
Medical Assistant Careers: Join this Fast-Growing Occupation
If you are considering a medical assistant career, you should have excellent job prospects with employment projected to grow much faster than average over the next decade. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects medical assistants to be among the fastest growing occupations over the next 10 years.
Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians running smoothly. Some of the duties you might be expected to perform in a medical assistant career include:- Updating and filing patient medical records
- Filling out insurance forms
- Arranging hospital admissions and laboratory services
- Front office duties such as answering phones, greeting patients, scheduling appointments, and billing and bookkeeping
In some states, professionals in a medical assistant career may have clinical duties such as recording vital signs, explaining treatment, collecting laboratory specimens, and drawing blood.
Medical Assistant Careers
Most full-time medical assistants work a regular 40-hour week, however you may be required to work part time, evenings, or weekends.
You should find lots of employment opportunity with the growth of an aging population, emergence of chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes, as well as the increasing number of physician practices.
Becoming a Medical Assistant
Almost all medical assistants are required to have at least a high school diploma, and you may find that formal training in the field is generally preferred. Medical assistant programs are offered in vocational schools and community and junior colleges. One-year programs result in a certificate or diploma, and two-year programs result in an associate degree.
The Following Schools Provide Educational Programs For Medical Assistant Careers:
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