Certified Medical Assistant

Medical assistants are an important part of the healthcare delivery system. Medical assistants perform the administrative duties of physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, freeing them to focus on the more specialized aspects of their job. Note that medical assistants are not the same as physicians’ assistants. Physicians’ assistants normal have broader duties, including some medical and patient care duties. Like most office workers, medical assistants work a 40-hour week.

Medical assistants need to be courteous and pleasant, as they deal directly with the public. They must have good manual dexterity and visual acuity, attention to detail, all around solid communication skills, strong ethical and confidentiality standards due to the sensitive nature of their work, and good organizational skills.

Education and Credentials Required
Employers don’t mandate formal training, but often prefer it as it guarantees that candidates have the necessary knowledge and skills to become an effective medical assistant. Courses of study are one year, awarding in a certificate or diploma, or two year, awarding an associate degree.

Training programs can be accredited by the following agencies: he Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Personnel (CoA-OMP)

Future Prospects
Employment opportunities for medical assistants are expected to increase much faster than average. In fact, it will be one of the fastest-growing occupations at least through 2012. Job growth will be stimulated by the expansion of the health care industry. Job prospects are significantly better for people with formal education and/or training, certification, and experience.

Salary Range
The median salary, as of 2002, for certified medical assistants was $23,940. Self-employed medical assistants can expect to earn significantly more than salaried medical assistants. Experience, location, skill, reputation, hours worked and other factors impact income. Medical assistants may pay for their own health benefits and retirement benefits, if they are either self-employed or temporary workers.