Career as a Medical Assistant

With the current economic uncertainty facing the global economy additional education or alternative job skills will help to provide a more secure future for those people entering or already in the workforce.

A career as a medical assistant ranks at number three on the top ten list of hottest careers for 2010 on careerexplorer.net. The site reports the projected salary range to be from $16,460 to $74,390, but this upper level salary differs from the estimated salaries presented in the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) report, see 2009 CMA (AAMA) Salary Survey (pdf). The current job responsibilities for medical assistants extend beyond clinical tasks and include extensive training in administration and office operations. This diversified training permits medical assistant to perform a broader range of functions within the medical field. For more comprehensive information regarding career opportunities and training read refer to the AAMA career resources document at http://www.aama-ntl.org/resources/library/07MAcareer.pdf.

According to All Allied Health Schools website, the annual salary for a medical assistant in 2004 was $28,000. In 2006 medical assistants where employed in 417,000 positions according to information reported by the AAMA. These figures are expected to increase by about 60% by 2012. Salary.com reports that in October of 2008 the high and low salary bracket for medical assistants ranged from $23,800 to $32,963, depending on experience and training. In addition to the your salary, American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) reports that many employers are offering extensive benefits packages, including retirement packages, such as pensions and 401 K plans. They may also offer paid vacations and sick days, disability and accidental death insurance as well as vision coverage. Full-time medical assistants normally are provided with major medical coverage, discount prescriptions and dental insurance, but the benefits you receive may vary according to the employer and their company policies. When applying for a position you will want to learn what benefits the employer intends to offer.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment opportunities for medical assistants are projected to be one of the fasting growing positions in the medical professions. You can see more information regarding the projected growth of employment opportunities for medical aides and assistants by visiting http://stats.bls.gov/emp/emptab3.htm). The diversified training offered to medical assistants has expanded the demand for these allied health professionals. Medical assistants receive training in office operations and administration as well as extensive clinical training. If your career goal is to advance in the medical field beyond being a medical assistant you may want to progress to becoming a certified medical assistant. (CMA). To become certified you must pass and exam which is administrated by the AAMA, this examination is given three times a year. Contact the AAMA or visit their website at http://www.aama-ntl.org, for information about dates and exam locations in your area. There are several educational avenues available to obtain the required training check several options and choose what is best suited for the career path you intend to take.

References:

Mymedicalassistingdegree.com: http://www.mymedicalassistingdegree.com/medical-assistant/medical-assistant-salary.html

Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://stats.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_104.htm

BLS Home Page: http://stats.bls.gov.

AAMA Salary Survey: 2009 CMA (AAMA) Salary Survey (pdf).

Careerexplorer.net: http://www.careerexplorer.net/ten-hottest-careers.asp