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Academy College can help you achieve your goals through our Medical Assistant Certificate program.

What’s the job all about?

Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually do many different kinds of tasks, handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area, under the supervision of department administrators.

Administrative medical assistants update and file patients’ medical records, fill out insurance forms, and arrange for hospital admissions and laboratory services. They also perform tasks less specific to medical settings, such as answering telephones, greeting patients, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, and handling billing and bookkeeping.

Clinical medical assistants have various duties, depending on State law. Some common tasks include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examinations, and assisting physicians during examinations. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens and sometimes perform basic laboratory tests, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. As directed by a physician, they might instruct patients about medications and special diets, prepare and administer medications, authorize drug refills, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for x rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings. Medical assistants also may arrange examining room instruments and equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean.

There are two accrediting bodies that accredit medical assisting programs. Accredited programs often include an internship that provides practical experience in physicians’ offices or other healthcare facilities.

The Academy College Medical Assistant program includes a comprehensive externship capstone course providing on-the-job training to upcoming graduates.  In addition, Academy College offers a CAAHEP approved Medical Assistant program, which allows Academy College graduates the opportunity to sit for the national AAMA Certified Medical Assistant exam.

What type of skills do I need to be successful in this career?

• Written and oral communication skills
• Courteous and pleasant demeanor
• Ability to work within the confidential nature of medical information
• Recall and memorization ability
• High ethical standards
• Professional appearance
• Manual dexterity
• Visual acuity
• Knowledge for learning

What’s the job market like?

Jobseekers who want to work as a medical assistant should find excellent job prospects. Medical assistants are projected to account for a very large number of new jobs, and many other opportunities will come from the need to replace workers leaving the occupation. Medical assistants with formal training or experience—particularly those with certification—should have the best job opportunities, since employers generally prefer to hire these workers.

Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 34 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.  A the healthcare industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, there will be an increased need for all healthcare workers.  The increasing prevalence of certain conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, also will increase demand for healthcare services and medical assistants.  Increasing use of medical assistants to allow doctors to care for more patients will further stimulate job growth.

Medical assistants with formal training or experience-particularly those with certification-should have the best job opportunities, since employers generally prefer to hire these workers.

What type of earning should I expect?

The earnings of medical assistants vary, depending on their experience, skill level, and location. Median annual wages of wage-and-salary medical assistants were $28,300 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $23,700 and $33,050. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,600, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $39,570. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical assistants in May 2008 were:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, [accessed November 10, 2011] [http://www.bls.gov/oco/].

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