The Medical Assistant

The career with the most promise is that of medical assisting. A medical assistant performs administrative and clinical tasks in doctor’s offices, ambulatory clinics connected to regional hospitals, emergency and walk-in clinics, and sometimes pharmacies. Some medical assistants can be trained right on the job, but most are opting to complete a one or two year formal training program. Depending on the state you live in, a medical assistant can earn as much as $30,136 a year, or even more. Another great aspect of becoming a medical assistant is that it offers opportunity for advancement into other healthcare fields like:

• Medical Laboratory Technician or Medical Technologist; performs laboratory work to identify, diagnose and treat diseases. They use laboratory equipment, medical devices and computers to perform laboratory procedures. They may collect blood and prepare culture specimens and can earn as much as $40,000.
• Medical Library Technician; collects and organizes medical information and help practitioners find the information they need for patient care, education, research, and administration.  Most of the information is now stored in electronic databases and information systems. They can earn from $25,000 to $35,000 per year, or up to $55,000 for librarians.
• Medical Records Specialist; obtains, posts, and analyzes medical, workload, finance, and insurance data.  They ensure that this information is properly recorded into medical records so practitioners can plan and evaluate health care provided to patients. They can earn $25,000 to $33,000 (Medical Records Administrator can earn as much as $40,000 a year).

The list of job opportunities for a medical assistant to advance in other fields goes on and on, such as Ultra-Sound Technician, Nuclear Medicine Tech, Patient Care Representative, Radiation Therapy Technologist, or Medical Appliance Technician, who helps patients learn to use medical devices prescribed by a podiatrist or prosthetist, to name just a few. We could go on, and on, there are at least another 30 different job opportunities in related fields. The main point we are driving home here is that becoming a medical assistant, especially in a large group practice, or HMO can actually put a young person in the right place for advancement, where opportunity is always knocking.

Medical Assistant Titles and Credentials

"We want QUALIFIED STAFF when we hire Medical Assistants!"
 

Medical assistants in the USA have formal and informal titles and health industry recognized designations, ranging from certified, or registered medical assistant (CMA, or RMA), certified clinical, or certified administrative medical assistant (CCMA, or CMAA), medical office assistant, front desk medical assistant, back office medical assistant, doctor's assistant, advanced and specialty certified medical assistant (SCMA), student medical assistant (SMA), to simply medical assistant (MA).

A well trained medical assistant, especially when certified, registered, or otherwise credentialed, adds a kind of value to the doctor's medical practice that goes far beyond words.

Professionalism, care, courtesy, empathy and attention to detail are high on the list. A certified medical assistant can communicate efficiently with physicians, patients and other members of the health care team and has what it takes to handle clinical and administrative medical office skills accurately and efficiently. Surely you must have noticed that there are so many more certified medical assistant jobs advertised when you check the classified ads for jobs.

Certification As Your Secret Weapon

Doctors everywhere strongly agree: medical assistant certification provides assurance that they are hiring someone who is knowledgeable, trained and qualified for the job.

Certified medical assistant credentials are your secret weapon, your "ace in a hole", the sure thing that makes you stand out from the rest. When job vacancy announcements specify: "We seek a certified medical assistant, certification is preferred," then typically, only those who have earned the distinction of a certified, registered, or otherwise credentialed medical assistant will be considered for these positions, although, from time to time, they might consider a non-certified applicant, with the expectation that he, or she obtains certified credentials within a given time.

 "In My Role As A Certified Medical Assistant—What Will My Duties and Responsibilities Be On The Job?"
Some medical assistants serve in a more general position, others are highly specified in their duties. In your role as a certified medical assistant you will likely handle routines of daily medical office operation, where you may also encounter unexpected situations that require fast thinking and immediate actions to situations that can happen ANYWHERE in the practice's front, back, laboratory, waiting area, or storage room facilities. Handling these responsibilities requires attention to detail, flexibility and a keen understanding of basic principles as they apply to customer services and health care provision in a medical office.

"I Just Graduated from a Medical Assistant Program and Have My Diploma—Am I Also Certified Now?"
No, just graduating from a medical assistant school, or medical assistant distance education program doesn't make you a certified professional! Certification is NOT automatic just because you graduated. You may have your medical assisting diploma, but to get certified you must apply to sit for a medical assistant certification exam and pass it. Only then will you receive your designations and can call yourself a certified professional. Some well respected professional certification sponsors also make their exams available to those who did NOT receive formal vocational training from a medical assistant school, but instead have several years of continuous experience working in the discipline, or have received their medical and health care training in the Military.

 "I Didn't Receive My Training at a Medical Assistant School—Can I Still Get Certified if I Have Enough Work Experience?"
Yes, if you have at least 5 years experience as a medical assistant then you can apply for the RMA certification exam through American Medical Technologists (AMT) who have been certifying medical assistants, phlebotomists and other allied health professionals for decades. AMT allows experienced medical assistants to demonstrate that they are just as knowledgeable and equally qualified as their formally trained and certified counter parts. Once you pass their nationally recognized certification exam it serves as tangible proof of your knowledge in the medical assistant discipline so you can better compete on today's rapidly growing job market.

You may think you already have a job now and do not need certification, however, sooner or later you might wish you had obtained your officially recognized credentials when you had a chance. Recognized medical assistant certification exams are available for those who meet certain educational and work experience requirements as determined by the medical assistant professional membership organizations.