Medical Assistant Program Specialties: Customizing Your Career
As a medical assistant you'll have the option to either focus on general medical practice or direct your career toward one of several medical assistant program specialties (such as those discussed below). Specializing offers distinct advantages, including the chance to gain greater job responsibilities and to sharpen your expertise in a particular branch of health care.
Ophthalmic Medical Assistants
As an ophthalmic medical assistant, you'll work closely with ophthalmologists to provide eye care to patients. Ophthalmologists are medically trained physicians who examine eyes, prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses, perform eye surgery, and diagnose and treat eye diseases and injuries. To assist these doctors, ophthalmic medical assistants perform duties such as:
- Measuring and recording vision
- Testing eye muscle function
- Administering eye medications
- Assisting ophthalmologists in surgery
The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO) grants the Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) credential to medical assistants who meet specific education and work experience requirements. Medical assistants seeking this certification also need to pass an exam.
Employers recognize the COA credential as an indicator of a medical assistant's high level of knowledge and confidence—which translates to the ability to provide outstanding patient care. Plus, working with a certified ophthalmic assistant frees up ophthalmologists to focus on diagnosing and treating diseases, making them more productive physicians.
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Optometric Medical Assistants
Like ophthalmologists, optometrists deliver essential eye care to patients, although they are not medical doctors and do not perform eye surgery. Optometrists examine people's eyes to diagnose vision problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. They also test patients for glaucoma and systemic diseases, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
Optometric medical assistants work side-by-side with optometrists, playing a key role in a wide range of duties:
- Delivering chair-side assistance during exams
- Instructing patients about contact lens use and care
- Conducting preliminary tests on patients
The American Optometric Association (AOA) administers the Certified Paraoptometric Assistant (CPOA) exam to confirm that a candidate possesses the level of knowledge necessary to perform the job. To become eligible for the exam, medical assistants must meet specific requirements for their education or work experience, or hold a current certification from an approved organization.
As the AOA describes, certified optometric medical assistants demonstrate excellence in their field and meet a high standard for requisite knowledge. They contribute to the credibility of an optometry practice, and optometrists who hire them help advance the quality of care and professionalism in their field.
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Podiatric Medical Assistants
These practitioners help podiatrists deliver quality care and treatment to patients suffering from a wide range of foot complaints, injuries and disease-related problems. Some of the specific tasks podiatric medical assistants perform include:
- Making castings of feet
- Exposing and developing x-rays
- Assisting podiatrists in surgery
The American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants (ASPMA) offers a specialized certification exam to members in good standing who have experience working in a podiatry office.
Attaining your ASPMA certification increases your prestige and demonstrates that your experience and education meet the highest quality standards for your profession. It can significantly enhance your credibility and employability, granting you greater career prospects in podiatric medical assisting.
Choose a Medical Assisting Specialty that Fits You
Medical assisting offers you the chance to build your own career path. Whether you choose to enter general practice or pursue a medical assisting program specialty, the goal of your work will remain the same—providing caring, professional support to patients and critical assistance to health care practitioners.
