What’s a Medical Assistant? Should You Be One?
Date: March 11, 2024
What’s a Medical Assistant? Should you be one? Are you interested in healthcare and hope to impact others’ lives significantly? Then a vocation as a Medical Assistant* may be a route worth pursuing. A Medical Assistant is “a professional who performs administrative and routine clinical tasks in a medical setting.”1 Yet, in some health environments, the role is categorically separated into two independent positions:
- A full administrative Medical Assistant conducting office tasks solely;
- A full clinical Medical Assistant singularly functioning as a medical support person.5
Specialty Medical Assistants
Medical Assistants may go into niche areas. In this way, they serve distinct roles in specific fields. These include work as X-ray Medical Assistants, Cardiovascular Medical Assistants, Specialized Medical Assistants, and Ophthalmic Medical Assistants.
Where Medical Assistants Work and How
Helping multiple modern wellness environments, Medical Assistants work in physicians’ offices, outpatient clinics, and hospitals. They also serve in assisted-living facilities and private and government-run healthcare centers.”1
Most often, the role is a healthcare hybrid, with the Medical Assistant in one part performing clerical tasks and in another part practicing medical service. These professionals generally perform an array of duties. From answering phone calls and emails to physically aiding a nurse or physician, Medical Assistants perform essential organizational tasks to facilitate and support overall healthcare operations. This ensures that processes function more efficiently. These administrative tasks typically include:
- Greeting Patients
- Bookkeeping
- Scheduling Appointments
- Updating and Filling out Medical Records
- Coordinating Hospital Admissions or Laboratory Services
- Filling out Medical Insurance Forms
- Processing Patient Billing.3
Healthcare services Medical Assistants perform typically include:
- Taking Patients’ Vital Signs
- Obtaining Medical Histories
- Handling Medical Information
- Drawing Blood
- Preparing the Examination Room
- Educating Patients Regarding Medical Procedures
- Giving Injections.3
*The term Medical Assistant should not be confused with physician assistants, who examine, diagnose, and treat patients under a physician’s supervision.
Skill Sets Needed For Medical Assisting
Due to the profession’s scope, a professional Medical Assistant should possess an eclectic inventory of hard and soft skills. Commanding enough emotional maturity to provide support when needed, they should be able to communicate while answering challenging questions diplomatically. They should also be compassionate and dependable, with a calming presence to support patients undergoing major procedures. Additionally, Medical Assistants should possess strong organizational and time-management skills to complete multiple projects and processes. Mostly, they should be flexible and able to transfer from one task to another, with little supervision while lending acumen.
How Do You Become a Medical Assistant?
Most states don’t have formal educational requirements for entering the profession, leaving one to pursue the vocation with as little as a high-school diploma or GED. (Students who follow this route should take high-school courses in biology, chemistry, and anatomy). While not a prerequisite for employment, most employers prefer candidates undergo official training programs,4 either from an accredited vocational school, community college, online program, or university.”2 Typically, the route to certification begins when one completes an official program.
Some community colleges offer two-year programs that lead to associate degrees. While these exceed minimum requirements, they may qualify for advancing positions. Gurnick Academy offers an accredited certificate program that can be completed in eight (8) months.* Objectives focus on anatomy and medical terminology with didactic training correlating to labs and required clinical hours.4
How Much Money Do Medical Assistants Make?
The average base salary for a Medical Assisting role is $35,8504 per year or $17.23 per hour. While compensation may seem modest compared to other healthcare professions, more than 35 percent of Medical Assistants feel their wages satisfactorily provide a living wage. Those in the role cite working with people from differing backgrounds while contributing to larger healthcare objectives and wellness goals as very rewarding.
There are other altruistic benefits for those serving in Medical Assisting careers. These include relieving suffering, calming patients, assuring family members, and breaking down confusing information to elderly individuals or those with language barriers. A Medical Assisting role will likely be rewarding if you like working with people.
What Are Some Benefits For Medical Assistants?
According to Indeed.com, the most common benefits for Medical Assistants include professional development assistance, parental leave, relocation assistance, disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, 401(k) matching funds, and dental and vision insurance. Those in the field also cite paid time off and flexible scheduling as advantages of the profession. The advantages of Medical Assisting roles include daily networking and learning from healthcare colleagues, staying abreast of industry standards, and obtaining entry into the healthcare field should one wish to pursue advanced options later.
Should You Be One?
Often, the Medical Assistant is the first face of the company and a go-to contact for patients, serving at the frontlines of care. Above all, Medical Assistants can be satisfied that they provide an essential function within modern healthcare environments.~
*30 Indicates Approved Instructional Weeks.
By Cindy R. Chamberlin.
Citations:
1^a, b, c “Medical Assistant Job Description: Duties, Education and Experience Required.” 2020. Indeed. Indeed.com. (Accessed Feb. 22, 2020.)
2^a, b n.d. “Medical Assistant Salary in the US.” Www.indeed.com. Indeed.com. (Accessed May 20, 2021.)
3^a, b, c Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Assistants. (Accessed May 19, 2021.)
4 Staff. “Technological Tools and Equipment Used by Medical Assistants.” Medical Assistant Training. April 3, 2013. (Accessed May 19, 2021.)
5^a, b n.d. “Medical Assistants–Allied Health | Medical Board of California.” Www.mbc.ca.gov. Medical Board of California. (Accessed June 9, 2021.)
