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If you’re looking for a bright future, with plenty of opportunity, training as a medical assistant will prepare you a rewarding career in the healthcare field.  In fact, the Department of Labor predicts jobs in medical assisting will outpace all others for the next eight years. 

Training for medical assisting takes less than two years and provides valuable steps for other healthcare careers like nursing, respiratory therapy and X-ray technician.

Medical assistants work in a variety of medical office settings like general practitioners, podiatrists or chiropractors.  Depending on the type of medical office, the duties vary but could include:

Answering phones Greeting patients Processing patient medical records Scheduling appointments

Coordinating with hospitals Coordinating with testing labs Medical billing

In addition to administrative functions, medical assistants have clinical duties that may include:

Taking medical histories Recording vital signs Assisting physician during examination Collection/preparation of lab specimens

Drawing blood Taking electrocardiograms Removing sutures Changing dressings

The job outlook for medical assistants is the best of all professions over the next decade.  Advances in medical technology are enabling people to live longer lives and creating many new jobs in the healthcare field.  The majority of medical assistants work in private offices, while only about 14 percent work in hospitals.

The salary range of medical assistants is towards the lower end of the health care profession, but is much higher than that of orderlies, CNAs and phlebotomists.

In 2002, the median income for a medical assistant in the US was $23,940, with the low end being $17,640 and the high end $34,130. 

It is possible to begin a career as a medical assistant without any formal training and learn on the job.  However, most employers prefer graduates of medical assisting programs.  A medical assisting certificate can be earned in one year and an associate’s degree in two.  Programs include course study in subjects like medical terminology, physiology, anatomy, transcription and insurance processing.  Clinical courses include lab techniques, pharmaceutical principles and medication administration.  Students can also expect to attend an internship.

Medical assistants are not required to be licensed by states, but some states require testing for specialized duties like taking X-rays.

One of the fastest ways to begin a healthcare career is to become a medical assistant.  The job provides a variety of medical and administrative duties and provides the educational stepping stone necessary to advance to other medical careers.