Medical Assistant

Medical assistants are office workers in hospitals, clinics or physicians’ offices who typically perform routine administrative and clinical tasks. Duties vary significantly with the size of the institution and the location and type of practice. In smaller practices they report directly to the physician, but n larger clinics they may report to an administrator or supervisor.

Note that medical assistants are not the same as physicians’ assistants. Physicians’ assistants normal have broader duties, including some medical and patient care duties. Like most office workers, medical assistants work a 40-hour week.

Medical assistants must be courteous and pleasant, as they deal directly with the public. They must have good manual dexterity and visual acuity, attention to detail, all around solid communication skills, strong ethical and confidentiality standards due to the sensitive nature of their work, and good organizational skills.

Education and Credentials Required
While most medical assistants require a high school diploma, most employers would like the candidate to have some formal training in medical assisting. This can be gotten through vocational/technical high schools, one-year postsecondary certificate programs, and two year associates degree programs.

Future Prospects
Employment opportunities for medical assistants are expected to increase much faster than the national average. In fact, it will be one of the fastest-growing occupations at least through 2012. Job growth will be stimulated by the expansion of the health care industry. Job prospects are significantly better for people with formal education and/or training, certification, and experience.

Salary Range
The median salary, as of 2002, for medical assistants was $23,940. Self-employed medical assistants can expect to earn significantly more than salaried medical assistants. Experience, location, skill, reputation, hours worked and other factors impact income. Medical assistants may pay for their own health benefits and retirement benefits, if they are either self-employed or temporary workers.