Medical Assistant Training Class

Medical Assistant Job Description

Administrative duties of medical assistants can include greeting patients, keeping medical records, answering the telephone, completing insurance forms, making appointments, handling correspondence, scheduling hospital and laboratory services and assisting with billing. Overall, the responsibilities of a medical assistant can be split between secretarial and clinical duties.

Under state laws, medical assistants usually have varying clinical duties. These duties can include taking vital signs, retrieving patient history, speaking with patients about treatments, conducting general lab tests, assisting with exams, preparing lab specimens, sanitizing medical supplies and disposing of materials that have been used. Medical assistants may also inform patients about different treatments, including diet and medication.

They may also prepare and administer medication, submit prescriptions, allow refills under the supervision of a physician, take blood samples, prepare patients for X-rays, perform electrocardiograms, remove sutures and adjust dressings. In addition, medical assistants may organize, maintain and buy materials and instruments. Cleaning waiting and exam rooms may also be part of the duties of a medical assistant. Medical assistants must remain flexible in their duties.

Some medical assistants specialize and have additional duties, depending on the area of their specialization. Medical assistants may be employed in a wide array of areas. Approximately 60% of medical assistants are employed in doctor’s offices. Around 10% work in specialized offices, such as podiatrists and chiropractors.

Medical assistants are responsible for helping patients to feel comfortable as well as verifying instructions of the physician. Medical information must be kept confidential. Medical assistants must have good visual perception and be able to work well with their hands.

Some medical assistants may be promoted to office managers with experience. Others choose to advance to instruction in medical assisting or obtain further education and training to become medical technicians or nurses.

Due to an increase in the elderly population, the employment outlook for medical assistants is considered to be good, with the field growing faster than other occupations. This employment field is expected to continue growing through 2012. The expansion is this field will be fueled by a variety of factors that will include an increase in medical centers, clinics and group practices.

Such facilities will need support staff, particularly medical assistants who can remain flexible and perform both secretarial and clinical tasks. Medical assistants who are trained through an accredited program and who are certified will have the best chances for employment.

Article Source: http://www.jobdescriptions.net/health/medical-assistant/

Medical Assistant Salary

When dealing with medical careers, some of the top variables for salary variances are that of a person’s level of education, on-the-job experience, job location, geographic location, job demand and area of specialty (if any). While it is possible to land a job as a medical assistant with only a high school diploma and receiving on-the-job training to earn a certificate, having these skills prior to job application will ensure a higher medical assistant starting pay.

Being an entry-level medical assistant and not boasting any formal previous education will often times result in a lower average starting salary. In most cases throughout the United States, medical assistants without formal training received an average yearly salary of $18,000-$22,000. Keep in mind that this is entry-level medical assistant salaries with no formal training or certification.

As a medical assistant who has attended training courses and has at least a certificate or a degree will likely earn closer to $33,000 per year solely based off of their education level. This amount of yearly earnings however can fluctuate up or down depending on a person’s place of employment, or job location.

Medical assistants who are employed by general hospitals or surgical hospitals in most cases tend to have the highest annual salaries with a median of $30,000 per year. On the other hand if you look into the average salary of medical assistants who are employed by private physicians, outpatient centers and minor emergency clinics earned on average about $2000 less per year, bringing them closer to $28,000 per year on average.

When dealing with your geographic location, you should consider this as an extreme factor your earning potential for a particular job. Living in parts of the country or of the world where the cost of living is higher on average, you can expect to earn a higher paying salary. On the other hand, when the cost of living is lower you should expect to earn a lower average medical assistant salary. Pay variances based off of geographic location is often tied in with our nation’s fluctuating economy.

As some states do better than others, this allows for more fluctuations and variances in medical assistant yearly salaries, even when two people of the same skill set are working in similar hospitals or clinics just in different parts of the nation or even the world.

While there are many variables that come into play when discussing the average medical assistant salary, we can see that basically, salaries tend to be tailored specifically to each individual’s unique circumstances and qualifications.

Taking all these aspects and variables into mind the national average for medical assistant salaries as of 2009 showed that the median 50% of medical assistance earned on average between $26,000 per year and $31,000 per year. The top 10% of medical assistants earned on average over $33,000 or more per year. The average medical assistant salary by state will fluctuate up to thousands of dollars per year. Use our salary by state guide to see how medical assistants are doing in your area.
Article Source: http://techniciansalary.net/medical-assistant-salary/

How to Become a Medical Assistant

Medical assistants function as important parts of health care teams. Assisting doctors and building relationships with patients can add purpose and meaning to your life. Certification as a medical assistant opens doors to opportunity.

Start with a high school diploma or GED. Some high schools have medical assistant courses in their technical curriculum.
Improve your opportunities in the medical field by getting certified. Medical Assistant schools offer classes, hands-on lab work and externship placements. Upon successful completion and passing of the exams, you'll be a Certified Medical Assistant. Most doctor's offices, clinics and hospitals prefer to hire those who are certified.
Check with your local technical schools to see what kind of medical assistant programs they offer. Some have certification programs of study.
Look online for medical assistant courses if your local tech school doesn't have a program and you can't find a medical assistant school near you. Online courses can take you all the way to certification also.
Prepare to handle a variety of duties if you become a medical assistant. Depending on the size and type of medical office you work in, you'll be responsible for everything from answering phones and filing medical records to drawing blood and processing lab specimens. You must be detail-oriented and work well with a team.
Test your people skills. Make sure you can handle all types of personalities. You'll be the first one they encounter. You must be patient, friendly and caring if you want to become a medical assistant.