In the rapidly expanding health care industry, the demand for workers who have completed medical assistant training along with receiving certification is on the rise. As a result, the medical assistant profession has become one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States. If being part of a medical team while working side by side with health care practitioners such as Doctors, Nurses and Physician Assistants for the benefit of a patient’s health and well being appeal to you, a career as a medical assistant may be well suited for you.
In order to start a career in this profession, applicants must have earned either their high school diploma or GED before attempting to enroll in a medical assistant training program. Courses taken during high school should have included math, health, biology, word processing or typing, bookkeeping and computers. Volunteer experience in hospitals or clinics are also be helpful and can give you a head start on gaining practical experience while completing your training program and earning your degree.
Some medical assistants receive on the job training by the medical practitioner for whom they work; however, this is becoming less common today than it was in the past. Although formal training is not required, it is generally preferred. With the job market being very competitive, prospective employers most often lean towards hiring prospective applicants who have had some formal training. Instead, most medical assistants are graduates of medical assistant training programs offered through vocational-technical high schools, postsecondary vocational schools, community and junior colleges, and in colleges and universities. These programs last either one or two years depending on where you take them. A program taken through a community or junior college involves two years of class work along with supervised clinical experience leading to an associate degree, while on the other hand, one year programs only reward you with a diploma or certificate. Both educational levels are adequate for a successful career in medical assisting, but those who earn an associate degree are more likely to move on to higher paying positions than those who only have a certificate or diploma. For that reason, if your career goal is to move up the ladder in the medical assistant job market, than earning an associate degree is the way to go.
Whichever training path you decide to take, make sure that the medical assistant training program you enroll in is accredited either by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Only graduates from these accredited programs are eligible to take the medical assistant certification exam. Although certification is not required, it is highly recommended as it significantly improves your career prospects and opens the door for a higher paying salary as well.
Whether you choose to earn a certificate or associate degree, an accredited medical assistant program includes general medicine and health courses such as anatomy, physiology and medical terminology along with medical law and ethics and communication skills development. Students also learn administrative procedures such as office management, insurance processing and billing, medical transcription and record keeping. Learning clinical procedures are also part of the curriculum, which include laboratory techniques, examination methods, first-aid practices, care of supplies and equipment, pharmaceutical principles and medication administration.
Along with coursework, accredited training programs also require students to complete an externship that provides students the opportunity to work in the field alongside medical professionals in physicians’ offices, hospitals and other health care facilities. This is an excellent learning opportunity, which gives students the chance to gain valuable practical experience as well as network with those already in the profession for future job prospects when pursuing entry-level employment.
Following graduation from an accredited medical assistant training program, prospective medical assistants can either look for a position right away or go on to take the certification exam through associations like the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) or the Association of Medical Technologists (AMT). While certification is voluntary, it certainly provides a competitive edge when searching for a job, especially when you consider the fact that many employers prefer hiring candidates who have been certified to those who have not.
In the expanding field of health care, choosing a career as a medical assistant can be a challenging and rewarding profession. There is a high demand from medical doctors, clinics, hospitals, health care provider groups, clinics and insurance companies looking for qualified medical assistants to fill personnel positions. Earning your certificate or associate degree through an accredited medical assistant training program will provide you with training in both administrative and clinical procedures, while also helping you gain the knowledge and hands-on practical experience needed in order to launch your new career as a medical assistant.