Medical Assistant Career
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What Medical Assistants do:
Medical Assistants work in the offices of
physicians, podiatrists, physiatrists and other
healthcare practitioners in an administrative
capacity. A Medical Assistant ensures that the
offices in which they work are well organized
and managed. In large hospitals medical
assistants can specialize and work solely in an
Administrative or a Clinical capacity. In
smaller practices, Medical Assistants need to do
both Administrative and Clinical work.
The
duties of a Medical Assistant include:
- Completing relevant insurance forms
- Updating of a patients medical records
- Arranging appointments
- Billing and bookkeeping
- Meeting and greeting patients
- Recording vital signs
- Taking a patient’s medical history
- Explaining treatment to the patient
- Performing basic laboratory tests
- Collect laboratory samples
- Changing dressings
- Sterilizing medical instruments
Education & Qualifications:
Medical Assistant programs are held at many
vocational, technical, community or junior
colleges. Diplomas can be achieved in one year
of full time education. Some Medical Assistants
continue to graduate with an Associate Degree on
completion of two years study. Many accredited
programs include an internship, which often lead
to full time employment for many students. A
typical course of study includes both Clinical
and Administrative subjects for example:
- Clinical subjects: physiology, medical
terminology, anatomy, first aid.
- Administrative subjects: transcription,
typing, accounting, insurance processing,
medical law and ethics.
There are many certifications open to Medical
Assistants, two of which are:
- The Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)
certification - accredited by the National
Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)
- The Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) -
accredited by the American Association of
Medical Assistants (AAMA)
Salary & Job Prospects:
Medical Assistants earn between $20,000 and
$30,000, depending on location, qualifications
and experience. Medical Assistants are predicted
to be one of the fastest growing occupations
over the next 10 years. Job prospects for
Medical Assistants with formal training,
certification and experience are excellent.
Find an Allied Health School:
Use the red search box above, to find Allied
Health schools and colleges in your area that
offer medical assistant programs.
Below is a list of some of the various types of
allied health careers / professions: |
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