Medical Assistant Career Highlights

Salary
The salaries of medical assistants vary, depending on their experience, skill level, and location. In May 2004, median annual earnings of medical assistants were $24,610, while the middle 50 percent earned between $20,650 and $28,930, and the lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,010. 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

Hours worked per week
Most full-time medical assistants work a regular 40-hour week. Many work part time, evenings, or weekends.

Education required
Most employers prefer graduates of formal medical assisting programs. Such programs are offered in vocational-technical high schools, postsecondary vocational schools, and community and junior colleges; you'll find excellent accredited online programs at eLearningYellowPages.com. Courses generally emphasize anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, as well as typing, transcription, recordkeeping, accounting, and insurance processing. Students learn laboratory techniques, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmaceutical principles, the administration of medications, and first aid, and also study office practices, patient relations, medical law, and ethics.

Formal training in medical assisting is not always required, although it is generallly preferred. Some medical assistants learn on the job, although this practice is less common than in the past, and a high school diploma is usually the minimum requirement in these cases.

Growth Prospects
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, increased utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. Medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004–14 period.

Medical assistants carry out administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The responsibilities of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. In small offices medical assistants generally handle both administrative and clinical duties and report directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. In large practices, medical assistants tend to specialize in a particular area, under the supervision of department administrators.

Administrative duties include answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and bookkeeping. Clinical duties vary according to State law, but generally include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They may also instruct patients about medications 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, and change dressings.

Medical assistants may arrange examining room instruments and equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean.

*Source: US Dept. of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook