Medical Assistant

Medical Assistants perform a combination of administrative and clinical responsibilities. There are different specialties under the umbrella of medical assisting: medical administrative assistants, clinical medical assistants, and specialized assistants. Some have a focus on the organization of the front office including filing, scheduling, and handling payments. Others will work in more specific medical fields such as optometry, podiatric, or ophthalmic medicine helping doctors and nurses during patient treatment procedures.

Medical assistants can assist physicians and nurses in hospitals and clinics, chiropractors in their smaller private offices, or other health practitioners such as optometrists and podiatrists who specialize in a particular type of medicine. Most medical assistants work in well-lit, comfortable office settings. Because some may work closely with doctors in the medical treatments they can be very closely involved with patient care. It is also not uncommon for medical assistants to become office managers or some other form of administrative support for a medical facility.

Medical assistants, like many other mid-level medical workers can receive great health benefits and numerous opportunities for raises and promotions. Their level of education greatly influences their chances of advancing in their career. Although it isn’t required, certification implies that a medical assistant officially knows all standards of knowledge to do their job well. More and more medical assistants are seeking out an accredited education before seeking employment in the job market in order to help their chances.

Salaries for medical assistants depend on the level of training, as well as which particular type of medicine they work in. Starting pay is around an average of *$28,000 to $32,000 a year. The top 10 percent of high paid medical assistants is around *$40,000. Those who work in general medical facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and surgical hospitals tend to earn more than those who work in private practice, although this is not the case every time.

Because the medical field is developing faster and stronger than most other industries in the U.S. employment opportunities are on the rise. Medical assistant jobs remain a constant demand in every division of medicine because of their importance in the fluidity and speediness of day-to-day patient care. *Employment growth for medical assistants is expected to grow much faster in the next 10 years than the average job in the United States. As more clinics, hospitals, and private practices spring up the need for more medical assistants will increase as well.