Monday, July 16, 2007

Is the Medical Assistant Career Still Hot?


Is the medical assistant career still hot? You bet it is!!!

The U.S. Census Bureau emphasizes that the current market trends along with cost control in the health care industry are making the medical assisting and related occupations some of the hottest careers in today's job market. Over 2 million people are employed as allied health professionals in the United States. With vocational training so readily available, salaries climbing (yes, they are!), and working conditions improving the demand for medical assistants is on the rise. It is a good time to enter into this exciting career in all disciplines (clinical and administrative areas).


What Are the Reasons For this High Demand For Medical Assistants?Medical care, therapeutic, and pharmaceutical services play an important role in our nation's economy and welfare. Driven by the ever increasing need for health care services opportunities in health care related disciplines abound wherever there are people.


Are There Opportunities for Men and Women Alike?
There is plenty of room for men and women in health and medical service related careers from major cities to rural areas, as long as they have at least a high school diploma and the drive to achieve their dreams -- and medical office managers and recruiters are ready to hire them. Employment is not limited by location, gender, race, religion, or even disability. Recruiters and employers everywhere are in constant need for more, and better qualified staff to serve patients and clients; this includes medical assistants, whose job it is to make sure that health care providers can fully focus their time on their work directly with patients.


What Do the Statistics Show?Medical assisting is an interesting and rewarding occupation. About 6 out of 10 worked in offices of physicians; about 14 percent worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities; and 11 percent worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. The rest worked mostly in outpatient care centers, public and private educational services, other ambulatory health care services, State and local government agencies, employment services, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and nursing care facilities. Medical assisting is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004-14 period.


What About Late Bloomers?
A vast number of today's medical assistants joining the workforce are older and more career minded than those of even a few years ago. Their average age is between 25-38 years and up. Some medical assistant students are as old as in their late forties and fifties and are doing very well.

These so called late bloomers have very specific career goals and they see job-related training or college as a way to fulfill them no matter what the real and imagined obstacles might be. When it comes to medical assistants their age plays no role at all.

To learn more about educational requirements, and practical tips for handling emergencies, and proper documentation visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web. There is lots of additional "scope of practice for medical assistants" info at that web site.