Medical assisting is one of the fastest growing careers in healthcare. Medical assistants work closely with physicians and other healthcare professionals to provide vital care and services to patients.
This article will provide an in-depth look at what medical assistants do, why the career is growing, training requirements, salary potential, and more.
What is Medical Assisting?
Medical assistants are versatile healthcare professionals who perform a wide range of clinical and administrative duties in physicians’ offices, hospitals, and other healthcare settings. Clinical duties include taking patient histories, vital signs, drawing blood, administering medications, assisting with examinations and minor office surgeries, and collecting lab specimens. Administrative duties include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing and coding, answering phones, arranging hospital admissions, and managing inventory and supplies.
Duties of a Medical Assistant
The specific day-to-day duties of a medical assistant depend on where they work, but often include:
- Greeting patients and preparing them for examinations
- Taking medical histories and recording vital signs
- Assisting physicians during exams and procedures
- Collecting and preparing laboratory specimens
- Sterilizing medical instruments
- Providing instructions and medications as directed by physician
- Drawing blood and administering injections
- Taking electrocardiograms and removing sutures
- Scheduling appointments and updating medical records
- Billing insurance companies and patients
- Ordering and organizing supplies
Medical assistants can specialize by working with a specific population, such as pediatrics or geriatrics
Why Medical Assisting is a Good Career
There are many reasons why medical assisting is an excellent career choice, including:
- Strong job growth – According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for medical assistants is projected to grow 14% through 2032, much faster than average.
- Variety of work environments – Medical assistants can work in physician offices, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings.
- Opportunities to specialize – Medical assistants can choose to specialize in areas like ophthalmology, podiatry, dermatology, or work with a specific population.
- Competitive wages – The median annual salary for medical assistants in 2022 was $38,270. With experience, salaries can reach over $51,000.
- Job stability – Healthcare is one of the most stable career fields. People will always need medical care, so demand remains strong.
- Chance to help people – For those interested in healthcare, medical assisting provides daily opportunities to help patients.
- Room for advancement – With experience, medical assistants can become lead assistants or transition into nursing or other healthcare roles.
Education and Training Requirements
While not required in all states, formal education and training is highly recommended to obtain the skills needed to become a competent medical assistant. There are a few options:
- Certificate or diploma program – These vocational programs take 9 to 12 months to complete. Students take coursework in anatomy, medical terminology, lab techniques, clinical and administrative procedures. An externship provides practical experience.
- Associate’s degree – An associate’s degree in medical assisting takes about 2 years and includes more extensive science and medical coursework. This prepares students for a broader range of job opportunities.
- High school diploma or equivalent – Those without formal training can still qualify for some medical assisting jobs. On-the-job training will teach duties. Consider a 1-year certificate program to boost chances.
Accredited programs ensure students gain the appropriate knowledge and skills. Accrediting bodies include the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
AAMA Certification: Advancing Your Career
Getting certified through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) offers numerous benefits for medical assistants, including:
- Demonstrating competence to employers, which can lead to better job opportunities, higher salaries, and enhanced job security in a field that increasingly demands certification
- Gaining professional recognition from employers, healthcare organizations, and government agencies across the country, which can help advance your career
- Accessing continuing education resources to stay current on the latest medical assisting knowledge and skills
- Becoming eligible for certain jobs and reimbursement programs that require certification, like those involving Medicaid and Medicare
- Receiving discounts on products, services, and resources like liability insurance, textbooks, and online courses
- Networking with other medical professionals through AAMA conferences and local chapter meetings to learn about new job opportunities
Medical Assistant Salary and Job Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual salary for medical assistants was $38,270 in May 2022. The lowest 10% earned less than $30,390, and the highest 10% earned more than $51,710. Location, experience, certification, and type of work setting impact wages.
Employment for medical assistants is projected to grow 14% from 2022 to 2032, according to BLS, adding about 105,900 new jobs. An aging population needing more healthcare services and the trend toward outpatient care at clinics and doctors’ offices should increase demand for medical assistants.
Conclusion
Medical assisting is an excellent entry point into the booming healthcare field. The relatively short training time allows workers to start their careers quickly. Medical assistants enjoy job variety, competitive wages, opportunities for advancement, and the satisfaction of helping patients. With strong projected job growth, those interested in healthcare should consider this rewarding profession.
Additional Information
- Certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) is available for those with formal training and demonstrates competency.
- Medical assistants can choose to specialize in a certain healthcare field like dermatology, optometry or podiatry. Specialties require on-the-job training.
- The setting a medical assistant works in impacts their regular duties. Those in hospitals may have more clinical responsibilities while those in clinics do more administrative work.
- Larger healthcare practices tend to pay medical assistants more and have greater advancement opportunities into lead or supervisory roles.
- Medical assistants should have strong communication, organization, customer service and critical thinking skills in order to excel in their duties. An ability to work well under pressure is also important.