Medical Assisting
With the health care industry expanding because of technological advances in medicine and the growing number of elderly patients, there is a high demand for medical assistants. Hospitals, physician’s offices, and other outpatient settings are rapidly growing, increasing the need for assistants in the health care field. Those who are seeking careers in medical assisting should find excellent job opportunities since they are projected to account for a large number of new jobs.
Medical assistants perform several administrative and clinical tasks in order to keep outpatient offices operating smoothly and efficiently. Their duties vary according to the specialty of the office, its location and size. For those in small practices, their job duties may often include a wide range of responsibilities from administrative work to assisting physicians during examinations. Individuals who prefer large practices will find themselves specializing in a particular area under the supervision of a department manager. Medical assistants’ day-to-day duties may include filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, answering calls and booking appointments, recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examinations, assisting physicians during examinations, collecting and preparing laboratory specimens, performing laboratory tests, drawing blood, removing sutures, cleaning instruments and equipment, or authorizing prescription refills.
If you’re interested in pursuing a degree in medical assisting, you will first need to obtain an associate’s, or 2-year, degree in medical assisting or a related field. Many employers prefer to hire individuals who are certified as well. You could receive certifications through various associations, such as the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), that could easily be found on the web.
Training courses that medical assistants may need to take cover medical terminology, clinical and diagnostic procedures, anatomy, physiology, keyboarding, recordkeeping, accounting, laboratory techniques, office practices, pharmacology, medication administration, and insurance filing and coding. Those who are interested in working in specialized areas such as podiatry, ophthalmology, or optometry will need to take courses that correspond to them. Individuals interested in medical assisting should be caring, patient, good at communicating, and organized.
There are numerous online colleges and universities that offer medical assisting degrees to determined individuals seeking to advance their career. They provide students with the training and skills necessary to perform efficiently and effectively at outpatient offices. Online programs are usually very flexible, giving students the opportunity to access their courses at a time convenient to them. This allows parents or those with current jobs to pursue a degree in medical assisting while still taking on their daily responsibilities. For those who want to have an edge in the competition, they could also take advantage of this flexibility and use their remaining time to volunteer in the health care field.
Medical assistants’ earnings vary, depending on their education, experience, skill level, location, and type of office specialization. On average, they earn about $26,290 annually. Those who work in general medical and surgical hospitals made about $27,340 per year, almost $5000 more than those who worked in optometrists’ offices.
Top Medical Assisting Universities
Kaplan University - Associate’s Degree. Kaplan University is dedicated to providing students interested in medical assisting with true hands-on training, knowledge and experience. Before graduating from Kaplan, students will be required to complete clinical training at an internship to gain on-the-job experience. Upon graduation, they will be eligible to take the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).
Virginia College - Associate’s Degree. At Virginia College, students in pursuing the A.S. in Medical Office Administration degree will learn how to work closely with doctors to organize and monitor activities. They train students to become successful individuals in the health care field.
Rasmussen College - Associate’s Degree. For those seeking to pursue a career in Medical Assisting, Rasmussen College offers great online degree specialization as well as an excellent support team. Their goal is to get students where they want to be in life by helping them meet their educational and life goals.
Penn Foster College - Associate’s Degree. As one of the largest and oldest distance learning institutions in the world, Penn Foster College offers an accredited online Medical Assistant degree program that will help students partake in the high demanding health care industry. They strive help students enter the medical assistant field quickly and conveniently.
Herzing University - Associate’s Degree. Herzing University has helped thousands of students begin successful careers in medical assisting. Their programs are designed to provide students with the latest techniques and skills used by health institutions to prepare them for the real-world in health care.
