Where can medical assistants work? This question is recurrent and we are here to help you with that.
Medical assistants are important in the healthcare industry today. They help doctors with paperwork and medical duties.
These tasks involve giving medicine, dealing with insurance paperwork, writing down patient medical histories, checking important body signs, and many other things.
There is a big need for medical assistants. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be 18% more medical assistant jobs from 2020 to 2030.
But where do medical assistants work? Here are some places in the healthcare industry where these healthcare professionals can use their different skills.
Read: Medical Assistant Training Program
Medical Assistants Work: At Where?
Medical assistants work in different places depending on what kind of medical assistant they are.
There are also medical assistants who work from home and mainly handle administrative tasks.
Here are some of the most common places where medical assistants work:
1. Doctors Offices & Medical Clinics
More than half of all medical assistants do their job in a doctor’s office or clinic. Private practices usually have patients who come back regularly.
In this situation, you will encounter the same individuals repeatedly.
In hospitals, it is not common for patients to come back again. This could be a great place to work if you like working in a place that focuses on community.
In privately owned medical offices, medical assistants may have both clinical (patient care) and administrative (office tasks) responsibilities.
Medical assistants can work in various types of doctor’s offices and clinics.
- Family medicine
- Cardiology
- Geriatrics
- Ophthalmology
- Obstetrics/gynecology
- Endocrinology
- Pediatrics
- Psychology/psychiatry
2. Outpatient Care
Outpatient care centers are like a mix of clinics and hospitals, but not exactly the same as either.
These are usually doctors’ offices that provide services you don’t need to stay overnight for. Here, you can get small surgeries, lab tests, and psychiatric care without having to stay overnight.
As a medical assistant, you might have to do both office work and help with patient care. Many clinics are open on weekends, but they are not as busy as hospitals, where most patient care is urgent.
3. Hospitals
Hospitals hire a lot of medical assistants in the United States. Hospitals are open all the time and medical assistants may need to work at different times of the day.
It means that, depending on your job, you may have to do both office work and medical work throughout the day.
Since many hospitals have emergency services, it will be helpful if you can work well even when you feel stressed.
A lot of hospitals give jobs to many people in their communities and often pay well and offer good benefits.
4. Medical Research Centers
Another choice for a medical assistant is to work at research centers that study medicine and conduct trials or other research studies.
You could help research participants by collecting samples, getting samples ready for diagnosis, or giving tests.
You may also have to do tasks like entering participants’ information and documenting data.
Clinical trials are a way to get a job. When a new medicine is made, the FDA needs to give it permission before it can be sold.
To get that permission, the medicine needs to be tested in trials with patients.
5. Nursing Homes
Medical assistants can also decide to work in nursing homes and retirement facilities, where they can apply their medical assistant skills.
They can assist patients in setting up their appointments, managing patient files, and building relationships with patients. Your main task is to help deliver the best possible care to the patients.
6. Insurance Companies
A medical assistant is really important for a doctor’s office, hospital, or medical clinic to work well. They have two types of duties – administrative and clinical. If you decide to work for an insurance company, you will be able to use your administrative skills effectively.
You will have the job of going through patient’s medical records and arranging their hospital stays, lab tests, and insurance paperwork.
An insurance company will find you very useful because you know medical words and basic healthcare.
7. Military
In addition, medical assistants have the choice to work in the military. Their job is to take care of patients, help with health assessments and vaccinations, and do simple laboratory tasks as needed.
Is Becoming A Medical Assistant Worth It?
A job in medical assistance is highly valued and can help you start a career in healthcare. First, it helps you enter the expanding healthcare industry.
You don’t need a degree to become a Medical Assistant, unlike professions like a Nurse or a physician. To get more information, take a look at the steps to become a medical assistant.
You can finish your medical assisting training in just 6 months, become a certified clinical medical assistant, and begin your career sooner.
It has been observed that many Registered Nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals begin their careers by working as Medical Assistants.
There is a big need for Medical Assistants and it is increasing quickly. The number of Medical Assistants working is expected to increase by about 16% over the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In simpler terms, with a yearly salary of $37,190, becoming a Medical Assistant seems like a good career choice.
Best Workplace As A Medical Assistant
There isn’t one single place that is the best for all medical assistants to work. It all boils down to what you like and what you are good at.
There are few things you need to consider before answering this, it includes:
If you like working with patients or doing office tasks. You can choose to become a clinical medical assistant or a medical administrative assistant.
If you want to work at a big place like a hospital or a small place like a doctor’s office.
What sort of healthcare are you most interested in? For example, care for older adults, care for children, or surgical care.
What days and hours do you want to work?
What kinds of jobs as a medical assistant are there at your workplace?
The Journey To Being A Medical Assistant
If you have decided that you want to become a medical assistant, here are the things you need to do:
1. Earn your high school diploma or GED in four years. You need a high school diploma or GED to start a medical assisting program. You can take a GED test whenever you think you are prepared.
2. Sign up for a medical assisting course that can last from 4 months to 2 years. If you pick an online certificate program, you can get your medical assisting certificate in just 4 months.
If you choose to get a medical assistant diploma, you will need to attend school for approximately 2 years.
3. Gain practical knowledge through work. You can become certified by taking a CCMA or RMA exam and gaining work experience instead of completing a program.
You must have worked for at least one year before you can take the CCMA or RMA exam.
4. Begin If you want, you can start working immediately without getting certified.
5. Get hired as a trained healthcare worker. Because there is a great need for medical assistants, it should be easy for you to find a job fast. This is very true if you have a certification.
Can a Medical Assistant Work as a CNA?
Yes, a medical assistant can work as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) if they fulfill the requirements to become certified as a CNA in their state or area. But it’s important to know the main differences between these jobs and the necessary steps to become a CNA.
1. Training and Certification: Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) usually complete special training programs and need to successfully pass a state exam to obtain certification.
The training teaches the fundamental nursing skills, taking care of patients, and ensuring their safety.
Medical assistants learn how to do both administrative and clinical tasks, but they might not learn everything needed to become certified nursing assistants.
2. Scope of Practice: The job of CNAs is mainly to help patients with basic tasks like bathing, dressing, feeding, and moving around. They work with either registered nurses (RNs) or licensed practical nurses (LPNs) keeping an eye on them.
Medical assistants can have a wider range of things they are allowed to do, like office work, gathering medical information, and doing some medical procedures. However, what they can do might be different depending on the state.
3. Certification Renewal: CNAs usually have to renew their certification by doing more learning and showing that they are still good at their job.
Medical assistants may need to meet different certification or licensing rules depending on where they work, but these rules are not the same as the ones for CNA certification.
If a medical assistant wants to work as a CNA, they need to think about the following things:
1. Make sure you know and understand the rules for becoming a certified nursing assistant in the state you plan to work in.
2. If you didn’t learn about being a CNA during your medical assistant training, you may have to join a CNA training program that’s approved by your state.
This usually means learning in the classroom and getting practical experience.
3. To become a certified nursing assistant, you have to pass a test after finishing your training program.
4. To get your CNA certification, you need to apply for it with your state’s nursing board or regulatory agency.
5. Keep your certification: Make sure you know what your state requires to keep your CNA certification. This might include taking classes and paying renewal fees.
It’s important to look up the specific rules and laws in your location to make sure you follow them. Although having experience in healthcare as a medical assistant can be useful, becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA) may require extra training and certification to work in that position.
Conclusion
There are lots of places where you can work as a medical assistant, which is one of the best things about this career. There are people who work as travel medical assistants in different places for a short period of time. When you enroll in a certified course, your chances of getting a job go up.
If you want to become a certified medical assistant, you can sign up for a medical assistant training program at Stepful.
The online program helps you become a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant and promises to find you a job.
