More About Medical Assistants

If you enjoy the fast-paced environment of a hospital or a doctor's office, perhaps a career in medical assisting is right for you. Medical assistants work with doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals in offices and hospitals to ensure that administrative and clinical tasks are completed correctly and in a professional and confidential manner.

What does a medical assistant do?
While the duties and responsibilities of medical assistants vary from office to office and hospital to hospital, they generally complete administrative and/or clinical tasks. In smaller offices, medical assistants may do a variety of tasks under the supervision of a physician and office manager, while those at larger hospitals or medical facilities may specialize in the work of a particular department or medical division.

In an administrative setting, medical assistants maintain and update medical records, process insurance forms, and make arrangements for hospital stays and laboratory visits. In the absence of an administrative assistant or receptionist, medical assistants will also answer phones, respond to correspondence, schedule appointments, and provide bookkeeping and accounting assistance.

In clinical settings, a medical assistant's duties depend on what is considered lawful by the state. In general, however, a medical assistant will record a patient's medical history, take a patient's temperature and blood pressure, explain procedures, help prepare a patient for examination, and assist the nurse or doctor during a patient examination.

Many medical assistants work in general medical environments, but some specialize in a particular area of medicine or health care. For example, medical assistants can work in ophthalmology, podiatry, or optometry. Medical assistants who specialize may also be given other related duties as necessary.

How much do medical assistants get paid and what kinds of medical assistant jobs can I get?
The annual salary for a medical assistant depends on experience, ability, and the nature of the health care facility in which one works. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2006 that the median salary for medical assistants was around $27,000, with some earning as low as $18,000 and some earning more than $36,000. In general, medical and surgical hospitals offer the best pay for medical assistants, followed by outpatient care centers, doctors' offices, chiropractors' offices, and optometrists' offices.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 62 percent of medical assistants work in doctors' offices. Another 12 percent work in hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities. Other medical assistants are employed in other health care offices, like those of chiropractors and optometrists, or in nursing and residential care facilities.

The Bureau of Labor Statistic reports that the field of medical assisting will be one of the fasting growing professions. In fact, employment will grow as much as 35 percent by the year 2016. This great increase-which is larger than most careers-is due in great part to the aging of baby boomer population, which will require more health care professionals, including medical assistants.

Medical assisting can be a very rewarding career for those interested in helping patients and medical professionals in a health care environment.

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