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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Is Medical Assisting Right for You?

A medical administrative assistant is a person that takes care of all of the clerical work for a health care facility. This person is not necessarily a nurse, but he or she does need to work with nurses and other medical staff members to ensure that a hospital or clinic runs effectively. If you are thinking about working in a medical career in the near future, you may want to start off as a medical assistant to see if this is a good path for you. Let's take a look at the work of a medical assistant so you can determine if you want to be a part of this career.

What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

Medical assistant job duties vary from one place to the next. Thus it is hard to say exactly what you will be doing in this career in the near future. Possible responsibilities include:

  • Scheduling patients to visit a doctor
  • Organizing charts and files in a facility
  • Checking insurance information for patients
  • Answering phone calls for a health care office
  • Reminding patients about upcoming appointments
  • Answering basic questions for a clinic
  • Creating an organization system for an office
  • Aiding a doctor in whatever it is that he needs help with at the time

Your job duties as a medical assistant may span well beyond that, but that should give you a rough idea of what you might be doing in this career. If that sounds like something you would be interested in, you may want to look for an open position in your area.

Where Can a Medical Assistant Work?

Medical assistants can work anywhere that medical personnel are needed. Common places of employment include:

  • Doctor's offices
  • Hospitals
  • Heath clinics
  • Dentistry offices
  • Nursing homes
  • Schools

You can find work under doctors and nurses of all specialties and locations. Medical assistants are in high demand at the moment, so there should be several career options available to you. If you check with local health care facilities, you can almost always find some kind of opening to fulfill.

How Much Money Do Medical Assistants Make?

The amount of money that you make as a medical assistant will be based on your employer, location, experience, and time on the job. Medical assistants usually make pretty decent money, but that all depends on your standard of living. Here is a look at the salary levels you may make based on a few different factors related to your job as a medical assistant:

Salary by Years of Experience

  • <1 year: $15,470 - $35,665
  • 1-4 years: $16,396 - $38,090
  • 5-9 years: $19,685 - $38,371
  • 10-19 years: $22,523 - $45,147
  • 20+ years: $24,694 - $51,521
Salary by Certification
  • ASCP Certified Phlebotomy Technician: $34,100 - $40,689
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: $12,699 - $37,525
  • Certified Medical Assistant: $19,428 - $39,996
  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $20,600 - $35,782
  • Emergency Medical Technician: $18,201 - $41,256

As you can see, there is a lot of money to be made in this industry. You just have to put forth an effort to earn it. With the information above in mind, you can now figure out if you want to work in this career or not. If so, you could start looking for an open medical assistant position in your area right away.

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