Top Benefits of Medical Assistant Training
Medical assistants play a vital role in health care teams, from performing front office administrative tasks to drawing blood and helping with routine exam procedures. A comprehensive medical assistant training program helps students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in this job.
Here are some of the top benefits of medical assistant training.
Medical Assistants in High Demand
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical assistants work in one of the fastest growing professions, with a projected 35 percent employment growth rate between 2006 and 2016. This translates to 148,000 new jobs.
An expanding health care industry has led to a rising number of group practices, clinics and other health care facilities that all depend heavily on medical assistants in order to function properly. This, combined with technological advances in medicine that allow people to live longer, healthier lives and an aging baby boomer population, has contributed to rapidly increasing demand for qualified medical assistants. All this means that medical assistant training is a path to a thriving career and a great investment in your future.
Medical Assistant Training in Less Than One Year
Medical assistants who receive formal training and earn certification will find the best prospects in their industry's exploding job market. Students can choose one of two educational paths:
- A certificate or diploma program, which generally takes nine to twelve months to complete
- An associate's degree program, which typically lasts two years and provides general education courses along with medical assistant training
Each medical assistant training path offers its own advantages. With a certificate program, you enter the job market and start earning a paycheck sooner. On the other hand, an associate's degree provides you with academic credits that you can apply toward a bachelor's or master's degree should you choose to pursue one later in your career.
Medical Assistant Credentials and Earning Potential
According to Salary.com, medical assistants earn average annual wages between $25,777 and $30,565. The BLS reports that among the industries that employ the largest numbers of medical assistants, general medical and surgical hospitals pay the highest median annual wage of $27,340.
Experience, skill level and geographic location largely determine a medical assistant's earning potential, but one other factor also plays a significant role certification. The law does not require medical assistants to hold a license. But earning that certification tells employers that you meet the highest level of educational and professional standards, which gives you the edge you need for the best career opportunities.
Medical Assistant Programs Provide Career-Focused Training
Your accredited, career-focused medical assistant training program will teach you the essentials of this important and comprehensive job. In school, you will learn to perform a wide range of relevant job duties, such as how to do paperwork and bookkeeping, perform first aid, draw blood, and communicate with patients in a compassionate and sincere manner.
Additionally, your medical assistant training will involve an externship at a hospital or other health care facility, where you will gain hands-on experience working directly with patients. Your externship will help you see what it's really like in a busy medical office or clinic, and will give you your first professional contacts of your medical assisting career.
Medical Assisting: A Meaningful Career Choice
Strong job opportunities, solid earning potential and career-oriented medical assistant training are all great reasons to get started on this rewarding and challenging career. But perhaps the best thing about training to be a medical assistant is preparing for a job where you'll help people every day. Giving patients comfort and relief in times of great emotional stress can make all the difference in a patient's hospital or doctor's visit, and knowing how much your work will matter is its own immeasurable reward.
