If you’ve been interested in working in a hospital setting, medical assisting can be a rewarding career. Not only do medical assistants earn a fairly decent salary, but the field of medical assisting also promises a wealth of career growth, specialization, and advancement opportunities.
A career in this field may also lead to one of the three major types of medical assistants. In this piece, we will look at this alongside what’s needed to become an MA and the various specialization options you can consider to propel your career forward in the medical assisting field.
Types of Medical Assistants
As we will look at later, a medical assistant’s typical day can involve different tasks in a healthcare facility, hospital, or clinical setting. However, there are four major types or categories of medical assistants based on their day-to-day duties.
These are:
- Clinical MA
- Administrative MA
- Specialized Medical Assistants
- Registered/Certified MA
What Does Medical Assisting Involve?
Working as a medical assistant typically involves assisting hospitals, physicians, and healthcare institutions in carrying out various clinical and administrative tasks.
This means that you can expect to perform tasks like recording patient information, assisting with patient exams, measuring patient vital signs, scheduling doctor appointments, handling medical records, collecting samples for lab exams, and even administering medication or injections to patients as per the doctor’s instructions.
As mentioned earlier, your specific tasks as an MA may vary based on your specific duty station or specialization.
How to Become a Medical Assistant
Becoming a medical assistant typically starts with getting a basic education. Once you graduate with a high school diploma, preferably with some background in chemistry, math, biology, anatomy, and computer studies, you can then pursue a postsecondary education award such as an MA certificate, diploma, or degree.
Nonetheless, it is also possible to learn through on-the-job training since the medical assisting field isn’t usually so strict on formal educational requirements.
Medical Assistant Certifications and Registrations
And even though certifications are not mandatory for medical assistants in most states and countries, some employers prefer certified candidates. In the US, you can get certification from one of the various accredited certifying agencies available.
Alongside the certifications you can earn from them, some of these agencies include:
- National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) – National Certified Medical Assistant
- American Association of Medical Assistants AAMA)– Certified Medical Assistant
- National Healthcareer Association (NHA) – Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
- National Healthcareer Association (NHA)– Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
It is also worth noting that to become a certified MA, a candidate must pass a specific exam. The applicant must also have taken a specific route and graduated from a recognized program to be eligible for the certification.
Getting A Job As a Medical Assistant
With 2021 job projections estimating a growth of more than 15 percent in ten years in this field, it’s becoming easier to secure a medical assistant job.
This can be attributed to the growing demand for healthcare services over the recent past. Many private practices and state, federal, and private hospitals advertise job openings from time to time online and on print media.
Traveling Medical Assistants
It is also worth noting that the job opportunities, salaries, work environments, and hiring requirements may vary from one state to the other. Some employers prefer hiring locally, whereas others make employment decisions based strictly on merit.
And most definitely, some create temporary positions for travel nurses, medical assistants, and other flexible healthcare professionals from time to time.
If you’re eying to work in a specific facility nationwide, it can be an added advantage to travel, relocate, or even consider advancing your studies through a program in its home state.
If your preferred place to live is in New Jersey, taking your medical assistant program in New Jersey might be a great idea. It’s even better if the institution offers various ways to see your studies through, from grants to student loans and veteran benefits. In fact, a medical assistant’s salary in NJ averages $33,387 annually.
Career Growth Opportunities in Medical Assisting
There are many career advancement opportunities in the field of medical assisting. The opportunities become even more as one gains experience and has many options to choose from when it comes to specializations.
Some medical assistants may choose to specialize in a particular area of medicine, such as Pediatrics or Orthopedics. Others may become certified MAs, which requires passing an exam.
Still, others may choose to advance their career by becoming medical office managers or medical billing and coding specialists. Depending on your path, it might require getting specialized training certificates or certifications.
Here are some examples of specializations you may consider exploring once you get general experience as an MA:
- Cardiology
- Pediatrics
- Obstetrics
- Orthopedics
- Urology
- Podiatry
- Endocrinology
- Dermatology
- Oncology
- Neurology
From the salary to job security, career skills, and advancement opportunities, a career in medical assisting comes with many advantages. And besides specializations and certifications, there are many ways to grow your career as an MA, including becoming a teacher, a nurse, or even a health scientist if you’re wondering what’s next after medical assisting.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
