Finding a Career in Medical Assistance

I have always wanted to get a job in the medical office field and did not know how to start. I knew it was a career that will always be around. I like helping people and love the environment of a doctor's office and the hospital. Medical Assistant does a lot in his/her career. Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The duties of medical assistant are paperwork, assisting with patients, they handle both clinical and administrative duties. All offices are different so they all do different tasks. Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, weighing patients, greeting patients, getting personal information down from the patient, updating and filing patients' medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and bookkeeping. Clinical duties vary according to State law and include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination. Most medical assistants work full-time and love it. If this is not something you want to do full-time than try it part-time. You can get a job in clinics, offices, and hospitals. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments.

How to become a medical assistant

*If you find a job volunteering in a medical office this will give you some practice. Some medical assistants are trained on the job, although this practice is less common than in the past. Volunteer experience in the healthcare field also is helpful.

*Applicants usually need a high school diploma or the equivalent. Recommended high school courses include mathematics, health, biology, typing, bookkeeping, computers, and office skills.

*Take a course at your local community college or university. They have classes morning till night find one that will fit your schedule.

Medical Assistants do not need a license. They do need a certificate though. Employers prefer to hire experienced workers or certified applicants who have passed a national examination, indicating that the medical assistant meets certain standards of competence.