Medical Assistant Training - Medical Assisting Careers

What Does a Medical Assistant do?

The primary role of a medical assistant is to keep the office and practice of a health professional running smoothly. You will need to perform clinical and administrative tasks routinely and competently. The specific duties will vary depending on your location and the size of office. Your administrative duties may include handling correspondence, greeting patients and filling out their medical records, as well as scheduling appointments and referring. Clinical duties can include preparing an examination room with the proper supplies, taking a patient's medical history, and minor medical tasks such as suturing and drawing blood

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Study and Learning

You can expect that most employers want to see medical assistant training on your resume. Formal programs in medical assistant training are offered in vocational schools, junior and community colleges. Certificate or diploma programs for medical assistants can usually be completed in one year while associate degrees may require an additional year for medical assistants. Topics you should expect to study for medical assistant training include: anatomy; physiology; record keeping; medical terminology; administrative and accounting skills. You will also learn about laboratory techniques, diagnostic procedures and how to administer medications.

Employment Potential

Medical assistants need to be clean, neat and have strong organizational skills. While certification is often not required for medical assistants, it will boost your chances for employment if you are. With suitable medical assistant training you could find employment in a physician's office or hospital, clinical laboratories, nursing homes and in the offices of other health practitioners such as chiropractors and podiatrists. Some medical assistants specialize which can increase your employment opportunities. In larger offices there may be opportunities for advancement into an administrative management position.