The best career is a journey, not a destination. As you change, your career options should change with you. If your training is relevant, the path it sets you on should take you wherever you want to go. As a medical assistant, it will.
What Is the Career Path for a Medical Assistant?
Getting a vocational school diploma is the first step to a rewarding future as a medical assistant. Comprehensive, lifestyle programs provide the knowledge and practical skills you need for success in a growing but competitive industry.
No License Required
Unlike some jobs in the healthcare field that require licensure before you can start working, medical assistants can start earning right away. You’ll make money while gaining experience that will help you grow your career.
Advancement Opportunities
Opportunities for advancement begin with certification. You can sit for the exam right after graduation or reinforce your education first with on-the-job training. Practice not only makes perfect it can help you pass a fair but challenging test.
Become Certified
You don’t need to be certified to work as a medical assistant, but it qualifies you for choice jobs. Certification demonstrates the proven skills and dedication to the field that employers are looking for. It dazzles on an application.
General certification can then be parlayed into specialty certificates that improve your odds of working in a specific area of medicine. Popular specialties include cardiology, geriatrics, urology, and women’s health, but there are dozens to choose from, each appealing to different aptitudes and interests.
A Life-Long Career
Experience and education are the keys to advancement and flexibility for medical assistants. While some medical assistants want to be the best they can be within a single area of expertise, others want to cultivate a broader skill set. The good news is that with a diploma, you can build a lifetime career in one setting or explore the many options.
What Do Medical Assistants Do in Different Healthcare Facilities?
Medical facilities have different missions, so a medical assistant’s responsibilities vary significantly based on where they’re employed. Which setting is the right fit for you depends on your abilities and preferences. Each has advantages.
Doctor’s Offices
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 58% of medical assistants work in doctor’s offices, down from almost 85% just a decade ago. Still, most medical assistants begin their careers in private practices because it’s an ideal environment for new graduates.
The pace is brisk but slower than in a busy hospital or urgent care clinic. And it’s a great backdrop against which to refine both clinical and administrative skills.
You’ll be a jack-of-all-trades, working in the office, exam room and laboratory. If your career goals aren’t clear yet, a job in a doctor’s office will point you in the right direction.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Answering the phone
- Managing the schedule
- Rooming patients
- Taking vital signs
- Updating medical records
- Transmitting prescriptions
- Drawing blood
- Sterilizing instruments
- Assisting with minor surgical procedures
- Collecting urine samples
- Performing laboratory and diagnostic tests
- Clinical communication
- Filling out insurance forms
- Billing and coding
- Stocking shelves
- Inventory management
Hospitals
At least 15% of medical assistants work in hospitals. It’s a fast-paced and exciting environment. But because patients are sicker, roles are more administrative than clinical, and most are specialized. Jobs include:
Unit Clerks – work as administrative assistants on hospital floors. The work is primarily clerical, but it requires a medical background. You’ll work with patients, families, and medical staff to deliver a quality care experience. Duties are:
- Greeting families
- Answering phone calls
- Data entry
- Mail handling
- Medical transcription
- Recordkeeping
- Preparing admission and discharge paperwork
- Stocking office and medical supplies
- Managing hospitality services
Both inpatient and outpatient units hire medical assistants.
ER Assistant – emergency rooms serve patients and families under difficult circumstances. Admission and discharge procedures, for example, are more complex than on an outpatient unit. Persons may arrive unconscious or unable to speak for themselves. ER medical assistants help doctors, families and caregivers coordinate care by providing administrative services and clinical assistance as permitted by law.
Clerical responsibilities consist of:
- Greeting patients and families
- Safeguarding possessions
- Collecting personal and health data
- Requesting past medical records
- Reviewing insurance information
- Preparing admission and discharge paperwork
- Concierge services, assisting with personal requests from patients such as food, entertainment and communication access.
- Making transportation arrangements
- Stocking shelves
- Transcribing doctor’s notes
- Recordkeeping
- Scheduling follow-up appointments
Clinical duties are regulated by states and may include:
- Collecting urine, stool, and sputum samples
- Taking vital signs
- Performing diagnostic tests, such as EKGs
- Transporting patients to different departments
- Reviewing discharge paperwork with patients and families
- Restocking essential medical supplies
Medical assistants who enjoy medical intrigue will see more interesting cases in an ER than in a clinic or doctor’s office.
Medical Records Specialist – manage the flow of health information. Data is everything in healthcare, so it’s a critical role. The work includes:
- Reviewing charts for completeness
- Requesting missing data
- Responding to records requests
- Maintaining security and managing HIPAA compliance
- Archiving records
Medical assistants with good research and organizational skills will thrive in this role.
Patient Representative – work as registrars and financial advocates, managing the many non-clinical responsibilities that are a part of each medical encounter. You may:
- Schedule tests and procedures
- Register outpatients for hospital care.
- Arrange for language interpreters.
- Gather financial data.
- Coding and billing
- Provide hospitality services.
- Coordinate patient transportation.
- Request insurance pre-authorizations.
- Reconciling patient accounts.
- Process payments
- Troubleshoot financial concerns.
- Assist with payment arrangements and applications for free or reduced-cost care.
One advantage to working in hospitals is the many distinct opportunities within a single setting. If you want to diversify your skillset in the shortest amount of time possible, there are usually enough openings to make lateral moves from department to department until you learn where your strengths lie. Experience will help you pinpoint where best to climb the career ladder.
Clinics
Medical assistants are fixtures in clinics. Smaller than hospitals but more focused than private practices, they’re a happy medium for medical assistants who want to specialize.
If you enjoy clinical practice, a job in an oncology clinic will hone those skills. As one of only a few medical staff, you’ll actively participate in exams, infusions, and diagnostics.
However, if you prefer administrative duties, working as a patient navigator in a surgical practice may be more rewarding. Helping people manage complex referral and admission processes sets the stage for a successful procedure.
Final Thoughts
Your career path as a medical assistant is as unique as you are. There are no limits. Chart your course with a vocational school diploma today.
Meridian College offers a hands–on Medical Assistant training program taught by experienced school faculty who know how to prepare you for the daily challenges you’ll face on the job. From assisting doctors with patients to important administrative tasks, our experienced teachers will train you for a rewarding new career.
Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a medical assistant.