Medical assistants play a very important role in medical office visits. If you choose to study medical assisting, you’ll help doctors with basic administrative and clinical tasks. This may include running basic tests, taking vital signs, and asking important questions about what ails each patient. You’ll balance your time between answering phones and collecting blood samples.
Education
According to the College Board, is typically offered at the certificate and associate’s degree levels. It is currently a very popular field of study. The U.S. Department of Labor expects medical assisting to be one of the fastest-growing occupations through 2016. The classes you’ll take while in school will help hone the very specific skills needed to succeed as a medical assistant. Expect to study medical software applications, medical terminology, diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, and administration of medications.
What to know before you apply
If you choose to pursue a career as an medical assistant, you’ll need to get certified—so prepare to study for the national certification exam. You’ll also be working in a doctor’s office as part of your training, so comfort in that environment is vital. Much like your eventual you’re your study will be divided between desk work (building a medical vocabulary) and field work (practicing giving shots). Medical assistants spend a lot of time handholding patients, so it helps to have a knack for putting others at ease.
Colleges offering related fields of study
• UEI College: California
Salary
After completing your study and earning your certification, you are ready to work in a medical office as a medical assistant. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assistants earned a median pay of $29,610 per year in 2013.
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