Looking for Official Medical Assistant Schools?

What do medical assistants do?

Medical assistants are true team players on the health care team. Their tasks vary greatly, depending on what employers expect from them, but can include both administrative and clinical responsibilities. Some possible job duties of medical assistants include the following:

• Ask patients about their medical histories
• Record vital signs
• Prepare patients for exams, x-rays, etc.
• Prepare rooms for procedures, including the sterilization of equipment
• Help doctors during exams, x-rays, etc.
• Help patients understand doctor recommendations and information
• Give medications
• Remove stitches
• Handle medical files
• Fill out insurance forms
• Schedule patient appointments and procedures at other medical care facilities
• Greet patients and handle phone calls and correspondence
• Keep track of billing and bookkeeping matters

Where do medical assistants work?

If you’re thinking of becoming a medical assistant, you should be comfortable in doctors’ offices, as that is where most medical assistants work; other common places of employment include hospitals, health care clinics, outpatient centers, and other medical offices.

What is the average salary and job outlook for medical assistants?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical assistants should see excellent job growth over the next decade. Medical assistants who have been certified and/or have gained experience will have the best prospects of all.

Medical assistants earned a median annual salary of $28,300 in May 2008, shows BLS information; the middle 50% earned between $23,700 and $33,050 with variations for location, skill level, and experience.

How do I become a medical assistant?

Now that you know all about what being a medical assistant entails, it’s time to learn more about the steps you must take in order to become a medical assistant.

First of all, you should know that certification as a medical assistant is one of the best ways to ensure that you will have the best employment prospects. Indeed, most employers today require that medical assistants are both properly trained and certified, so let’s talk a bit about medical assistant certification.

In order to be eligible for certification, you must complete a program at an accredited school; the two major accreditation bodies are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), so the school you choose should be accredited by one of those two organizations.

The certification you are working toward will likely be as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) by the Certifying Board of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) or the Association of Medical Technologists (AMT).

Now, what kind of training will you need leading up to certification?

There are two basic educational paths for becoming a medical assistant:

Certificate/diploma medical assistant programs are offered at community or career colleges and take between nine months and a year to complete. Required coursework is only in the subjects that will directly prepare you to become a medical assistant; there are no general education requirements. Certificate/diploma programs are less expensive than associate degree programs as they can be completed in
about half the time.