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Nature of the Job
Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of numerous health professionals running smoothly.
Medical assistants should not be confused with Physician Assistants. Physician Assistants have expanded duties and actually examine, diagnose and treat patients under direct supervision of a physician.
Duties vary from office to office and depends on office location, size and if a MA specializes or not.
In small offices, most Medical Assistants handle both administrative and clinical duties and are considered “generalists.” Also, MA’s in small offices tend to report directly to a physician, health practitioner or office manager.
In larger offices, most Medical Assistants tend to specialize in a particular area. Also, MA’s in large offices report to department administrators or other operations management.
Duties could vary by state. Each medical assisting program at an accredited Medical Assisting school will be able to provide a list of duties a MA performs.
Some of the duties performed by MA’s:
- Taking medical histories
- Recording vital signs
- Explaining treatment procedures to patients
- Preparing patients for examination
- Assisting the physician during the examination
- Collect and prepare laboratory specimens
- Perform basic laboratory tests on the premises
- Dispose of contaminated supplies
- Sterilize medical instruments
- Instruct patients about medication and special diets
- Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician
- Authorize drug refills as directed
- Telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy
- Draw blood
- Prepare patients for x-rays
- Take electrocardiograms
- Remove sutures
- Change dressings
- Arrange examining room instruments and equipment
- Purchase and maintain supplies and equipment
- Keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean
- Allergy skin testing
- Processing insurance claims
- Operating a computerized patient management system
- Scheduling appointments
- Managing office emergencies
- Performing CPR and emergency first aid
Specialized areas of Medical Assistants are:
- Podiatric medical assistants: make castings of feet, expose and develop x rays, and assist in podiatrists in surgery
- Ophthalmic medical assistants: help ophthalmologists provide medical eye care; conduct diagnostic tests, measure and record vision, and test eye muscle function. Show patients how to insert, remove and care for contact lenses; apply eye dressings. May administer eye medications under care of the physician and they maintain optical and surgical instruments. They may also assist the ophthalmologist in surgery.
Education Requirements:
Most employers prefer graduates who graduated from an accredited Medical Assisting program. Accredited Medical Assisting programs are offered in postsecondary vocational schools, junior colleges and in colleges and universities. Postsecondary programs usually last either one year or less which results in a certificate or diploma or two years with an associate degree.
Formal training is not mandatory but recommended. Some high schools offer courses covering those needed and with the volunteering in a health care setting provides enough education to begin a career in medical assisting. However, without formal training, certification is not eligible until five years of experience is reached. Formal education is recommended by many employers.
Courses/topics covered are:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Medical terminology
- Typing
- Transcription
- Recordkeeping
- Accounting
- Insurance processing
- Laboratory techniques
- Clinical and diagnostic procedures
- Pharmaceutical principles
- Medication administration
- First aid
- Office practices and procedures
- Patient relations
- Medical law
- Ethics
Most accredited programs include an internship that provides practical experience in a hospital, healthcare facility or physicians’ office.
Accreditation Agencies:
Two agencies are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education: Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). There are currently about 700 medical assisting programs accredited by these two organizations.
Certification/Licensing:
There is no licensing for medical assistants, however, some states require them to take a test or course before they can perform certain job duties, such as x-rays. Employers prefer to hire experienced workers and many prefer certified applicants who have passed a national examination, indicating that the medical assistant meets certain standards of competence.
AMT is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
Medical assistants are able to advance to office manager or a variety of administrative duties and may teach medical assisting courses after a number of years of experience. Some medical assistants return to school for more education to become nurses, medical laboratory technicians, medical technologists or enter into other health related occupations. Some medical assistants also certify as phlebotomy technicians (the practice of drawing blood) besides their medical assisting certification.
Working Conditions
Medical assistants deal with the public on a daily basis and must be neat and well groomed. Their working conditions are in well-lighted and very clean environments. Most medical assistants work a 40-hour work week and depending on where employed, may work nights and weekends.
Employment/Employment Outlook
Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014 as the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population. Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. In fact, medical assistanting is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004-14 period.
Employment growth will be driven by the increase in the number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly the flexible medical assistant who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants work primarily in outpatient settings, a rapidly growing sector of the health care industry.
In view of the preference of many health care employers for trained personnel, job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, particularly for those with certification.
Estimated Earnings
The earnings of medical assistants vary, depending on their experience, skill level, and location. Median annual earnings of medical assistants were $24,610 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $20,650 and $28,930. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,010, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $34,650. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical assistants in May 2004 were:
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools $27,490
- Outpatient care centers 25,360
- General medical and surgical hospitals 25,160
- Offices of physicians 24,930
- Offices of other health practitioners 21,930
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