Medical Assistant Information Technology (IT)

Gone are the days of clip boards and medical charts carried by the medical assistant, or nurse. Today's medical assistants, especially certified medical assistants, are headed toward the future and need to be prepared and well trained in Information Technology ( IT) and computer applications. Many are carrying iPads, smart phones, tablet PCs, and other high tech mobile devices that are directly linked to a central database, or are designed to upload into a central unit.  

A tremendous amount of medical centers, hospitals, ambulatory health clinics, and doctor’s offices are looking for medical assistants trained in computer applications which includes proficiency in appointment scheduling, electronic medical record (EMR) management, medical terminology,  understanding and managing computer databases,  medical transcription, and bookkeeping etc… Some medical assistants may be required to perform medical  billing and coding, medical insurance claims processing, and utilizing CPT and ICD-9 diagnostic codes (soon upgraded to the new ICD-10 already used in Canada and many European countries). 

Judy Jondahl, director of accreditation for the American Association of Medical Assistant (AAMA) who certify thousands of medical assistants year after year, reported that associate degree programs in medical assisting are now putting a bigger focus on information technology skills and requiring IT competency as part of the their curriculum. Two year degree or Associates Certified Medical Assistants programs can provide most of the up to date computer applications training you need to compete in today's computer tech world.  Having these skill will not only help you to get hired, but it would also allow you to earn more than the average or less qualified non-certified medical assistants. 

Medical Assistant Mobility Now and Beyond

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 68.1 percent of 2010 high school graduates are enrolled in colleges or universities, which means that close to 32% of high school graduates will be entering the job market immediately, or seeking post high school education programs from vocational schools.

Considering the Current Job Market

The unemployment rate for recent high school graduates not enrolled in school was 33.4 percent, compared with 22.8 percent for recent graduates enrolled in college. In layman terms, approximately 1 million people ages 16 through 24 are all in a sudden, and all at once looking for careers, or direction that would lead them towards a happy and prosperous life style through a meaningful career. Now when you add in the number of people who are currently out of work and/or looking to make career changes, then the competition for a good job looks bleak, however, on the flip side, for those who are actively engaged and carefully plotting their career path the future is actually looking very bright, if they choose wisely.

Medical Assistant Career Path Opportunities

The one career path that still holds a lot of promise in the United States and around the world is in the field of healthcare, in particular, the career or job as a medical assistant. For most people, medical assistant is the one career, or job a person can start right out of high school in most states.  Some doctors and medical centers offer on the job training. But the best way to obtain the knowledge you need to be proficient in this craft is to attend some formal training; online or in a classroom.

Advantages of Becoming a Medical Assistant 

The first advantage a career in medical assisting has is take home medical assistant pay. When you consider someone basically coming right out of high school the medical assistant's wages are quite attractive for someone who is just starting out. The lowest 10 percent of people in this field, usually entry level, earn around $20,600 per year.  The highest 10 percent can earn as much as $40,000 per year. Those working in large regional medical centers and hospitals tend to earn even more than those working in physicians offices, outpatient care centers, or health practitioners.

The second advantage the medical assisting career offers is opportunity for mobility.  Medical assistant is the one career that gives you an overall view of the healthcare industry as a whole.  A medical assistant working in an hospital gets to observe and pickup additional skills outside his or her normal job duties.  For instance, the medical assistant takes a patient in, takes the vital signs, brings the patient to the doctor, assists and observes the doctor, refers them to a specialist, or medical technician, such as a phlebotomist, or x-ray technician, again observes and learns, reads the lab reports and other findings to the doctor, and handles many other clinical and administrative duties, such as medical billing, so essential to the health care deliver and medical system.

Medical Assisting As a Spring Board for Higher Goals

This experience provides the person with a foundation to use as a spring board to move on to the next level such as Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Nurse (RN) or a specialty medical technician, or technologist, e.g. in the laboratory, for which many hospitals and medical centers now offer free training or pays for the training on behalf of the employee. A person can literally move all the way from medical assistant to hospital administrator, nurse, or even doctor, if they take advantage of the educational offers so readily available in every state. In the end, the best advantage are the rewards you get from helping others in your community: Priceless.

Photo Credits: Class photo from Ana Rose, Deviant Art.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Opportunities In the Medical Office Are for Everybody

Opportunities for Everybody and All Ages

Opportunities in the medical office exist for everybody, including late bloomers. It is not limited by age, gender, race, religion, or even certain disabilities. There is plenty of room for men and women of all ages. From the employer's point of view, the young energetic medical assistant right after high school is just as valuable as the mature and experienced professional, as long as they have the right attitude and the drive to succeed. Each one brings special talents and skills to the office, and if they qualify medical office managers are ready to hire them. Medical assistants can work in almost any medical facility where they are supervised by the physician who hired them. Doctors and senior medical staff train, supervise and monitor their medical assistant's activities right on the job.

Where can I work as a Medical Assistant?

The neat thing about being a medical assistant is that the opportunities in healthcare disciplines and medical services are so wide open and varied. There are countless general and special focus areas, such as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal, gynecology, urology, dermatology, cardiology... you name it, and you can work in so many places, from small single-provider to large group practices, to ambulatory health clinics and large regional medical centers—it's all out there and available to you in your role as a medical assistant.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants (PA) also like to have at least one or two medical assistant on their staff to keep the office running smoothly and efficiently. It is their responsibility to keep the office's work flow going and contribute to the doctor's ability to provide efficient patient care.

Role of Medical Assistant As Diverse As Scrub Top Patterns

No two work places in health care and medicine are the same. Medical assistants are found in small to large doctor's offices and clinics with an incredible amount of diff rent medical specialties and focal points. Some specialize in family medicine, others in pediatrics, others in geriatrics, ambulatory medicine and services, dermatology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, and many more.

The roles of these medical assistants are as diverse, colorful and versatile as the places you find them and the scrubs and uniform patterns they wear:

• floral patterns and garden print
• dragon flies and ladybugs
• puppies and kitten paws
• sun, moon, and stars
• Easter bunny and Santa Claus
• smiley faces and clowns

you name it! Likewise, no two medical assistants are the same, the palette of faces, ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds match the diversity of their uniforms and tops: young, old, male, female, blond, brunette, brown and gray, curly and straight, thin, skinny, tall, big, short, certified and non-certified; the list is long. Every medical assistant has unique talents and many stories to tell. Each and every one is unique and an important member of the medical office team and their community.

The medical assistant's duties on the job encompass tasks that are equally versatile and varied. They range from registering new patients from young to old, different ethnicity and gender, verifying health insurance coverage of everybody who is registered, setting up and organizing examination rooms, scheduling appointments, collecting and processing co-payments, keeping logs and medical records organized, to directly assisting providers during a requested procedure and following up on patient calls, questions and laboratory results. The medical assistant's day are busy and never boring. The colorful scrub tops represent their the plethora of responsibilities and skills.

For those who want to communicate with other medical assistants and network with their peers can do so through the very active, open Medical Assistant Web Forum, however, the forum does not encourage, nor solicit, or request posting of job requests and recruitment advertisement. Presently available medical assistant jobs are updated daily and listed on the medical assistant jobs page.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Medical Assistant Labor Statistics Remain Excellent

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment opportunities for medical assistants remain excellent!

Wherever there are people there is a need for medical services. As a medical assistant you will work side-by-side with doctors, nurses and other healthcare practitioners in various positions, from entrance level medical assistant to senior medical assistant, from clinical medical assistant to administrative medical assistant. Bottom line: doctors will always need medical assistant staff to help them run and manage their practice efficiently. As long as there are doctors there will be jobs for medical assistants.

Medical Assistant or Nursing?

Medical Assistant or Nursing?

Medical Assistant or Nurse? Which is Better?

What Is a Medical Assistant?

Medical assistants are non-licensed members of the medical office team. Doctors in private and group practices prefer to hire them because they are trained specifically for the medical office and are often more cost efficient (less pay) than RNs or LPNs. They work under the direct supervision of a doctor, in the front and back office of the practice, usually Mondays through Fridays, from 8-5 PM and rarely on weekends or holidays, which some feel are better hours than those in nursing. They are utilized in the administrative, laboratory, or clinical areas depending on the office's specific needs.

The medical assistant curriculum typically covers general clinical and administrative medical office skills and knowledge such as medical office administration, patient appointment scheduling and medical transcription. Some medical assistants are trained directly on the job without any formal training in a medical office and may include health insurance billing procedures, appointment referrals and medical records management, which is not typically taught in a nursing program.

The difference between medical assisting and nursing is that the medical assistant's skills are geared toward ambulatory care and medical office management in a doctor's office, while nursing is geared toward providing skilled medical and health care for the sick, chronically ill, or dying.

Medical assistants work under direct supervision of the doctor

In Comparison, What Is A Nurse?

Nurses, on the other hand, work independently and as part of a team to assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care in different specialties and different shifts. They are registered and licensed within their state and are allowed to perform more complex patient care procedures than a medical assistant, such as drawing arterial blood samples, administering chemotherapy, or starting and flushing IV tubing.

Some pull doubles and many work on weekends, holidays, on-call and per diem. The nurse's training is geared toward hospital or institutionalized patient care and mainly focuses on the foundations of traditional nursing and patient care, which is taking care of people that are sick, injured, infirm, or elderly in a hospital, institution, or nursing home. Their focus area lies on the anatomy and inner workings of the body, disease processes, medical management of diseases, conditions and nursing interventions associated with each disease, physiology, chemistry and pharmacology.

Significant differences:

• wages and benefits
• work hours
• duties
• continuing education
• scope of practice
• supervision
• licensing
• education

A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) can spend from 12 to 18 months in an accredited nursing school and then must take the National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nursing (NCLEX PN). The Registered Nurse (RN) associate degree takes at 2 years of full time college attendance, followed by the entry-level Nursing Competence Exam for Licensure as Registered Nurses, the NCLEX-RN. There also are 4 year programs in nursing which end in a nursing degree that leads to highly respected RN credentials.

Why I Became a Medical Assistant and NOT a Nurse

Is RN Better than LPN?

Anybody would be hard pressed to state with occupation is better, nursing or medical assisting, since both occupations have their place in health care as a whole. Each discipline has its specific place and purpose, even though there is a plethora of never ending discussions on the Internet revolving around this topic, going back and forth. We invite you to do your own research to find out what is right for you. Check your local newspaper and job offers in your area to see who and where medical assistants are hired and who is hiring RNs and LPNs. In reading the job offers you can also learn much about the kind of duties and responsibilities each one has and what employers expect and are willing to pay.

To learn more about the medical assisting career and what a medical assistant does please visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web.

Question: Which Medical Assistant is Better?

Every year thousands of new and experienced medical assistants applying for jobs are asked to show potential employers reliable documentation of their education, training, knowledge and skills, despite the fact that not every highly skilled and qualified medical assistant is always certified.

Most employers now expect 1-3 years job experience and certifications, or else they are hesitant to hire. However, does certification automatically mean that one medical assistant is better than another? For instance, is a recent graduate from a medical assistant school with certification better qualified than an applicant who received his/her medical assisting and first aid training in the Military and has worked in the health care field for many consecutive years without ever getting certified?


Please comment! Which medical assistant do YOU think is better? To learn more about the medical assisting career please visit Medical Assistant NET on the Web.

Do Medical Assistants Need Continuing Education?

Most certified professionals are required by industry standards to keep their credentials current through annual continuing education units (CEU). Medical assistants need CEUs to maintain their certification status.  Medical assistants, who want to keep their certification status current must document that they have taken approved continuing education courses and submit the transcripts to their professional membership association, or sponsoring certifying body to be approved.

The CEUs topics must apply to the scope of practice of the medical assistant's discipline and must be current.

Partaking in continuing education programs or workshops while the certification is still active shows that the person is serious about his/her career and takes a proactive interest in their future.

Non-certified medical assistants also benefit greatly from participating in continuing education programs, since subject related continuing education courses are an effective means of keeping skills and knowledge current for any professional, certified or not. Also, continuing education works wonders for the resume, since it is an accepted way to further professional knowledge, competence, and skills.

Stay in Medical Assisting or Move On to Nursing?

Those who have worked in the medical assistant profession for some years often wonder if they should go on and become a nurse, or continue in the medical assisting field for much less pay than they would earn in nursing. Not surprisingly, many opt to stay, not because of the money (there is a huge difference between the medical assistant's wages and that of a nurse), but because of the strong relationships they have forged with the doctors, other healthcare staff, and with their patients, which almost always is long term.

To learn more about the medical assisting career please visit Medical Assistant NET on the Web. 

Cert Med Assistant: Free Guide for Working Medical Assistants

Cert Med Assistant: Free Guide for Working Medical Assistants video testimonial:

First off, it’s not often you stumble upon a website where the primary objective isn’t to sell you something. At Cert Med Assistant it seemed as if I came across someone who had my best interest at heart. When I learned that Medical Assistants have replaced Nurses in doctor’s offices, I realized the potential for working in a medical office near me (something I always wanted to achieve). After finding out which schools in my area were accredited, it didn’t take me very long to register. In 5 minutes I found every answer I was looking for. It’s almost a no-brainer. With Cert Med Assistant (.c0m) they have created a site that not only helps you along the path to getting your medical assistant career started, but also get certified, and there is an active medical assistant message board, resume help, and the scope of its practice by each state for reference what medical assistant can, and cannot, do.

Cert Med Assistant is a resource that prospective and current medical assistants can enjoy It seems like this will be a resource I’ll be using throughout my career. If you’re aspiring to be or thinking about become a medical assistant, it has tons of information on job outlook, where to find the jobs, how to get certified, where schools are in your area, and the scope of practice by state if you're looking for jobs elsewhere. If you’re already certified, it has job search resources and even resume help. If by some chance that doesn’t help, a forum to post questions that’ll be answered by other certified medical assistants is there too.

Check it out: www.certmedassistant.com

Share Your Reason Why YOU Became a Medical Assistant!

Shine Your Light! Be an Inspiration:

Let's talk about the unsung hero of the medical office - the medical assistant!

The medical assistant is a specially trained health care professional that is caring, sharing, and always the very first person to give their best to the employer, medical office team, and their community.

Why I became a Medical Assistant Professional:

• I chose to become a medical assistant because I love working with and helping people and I think that I am very good at it. --- Lakisha Moore

Tell us: "Why did YOU become a Medical Assistant?"

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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.

The Salary Question....

A much discussed topic among new medical assistants is their salary. Low medical assistant pay, and whether the medical assisting profession should be more regulated by the state to increase standards, and wages is a much debated topic in our active Medical Assistant Web Forum.

Many are so discouraged, they are torn. It is obvious that they find the medical assisting career attractive, and they'd love to work in the medical office under the direct supervision of a licenced health care provider, but on the other hand, they are thinking about going into the nursing field for the money instead.

I wish I had all the answers for those who are frustrated, undecided, under the crunch, or in a slump. Because a career path is such an individual choice, and without going into the pros and cons of personal reasons for becoming a medical assistant, or LPN, I can share the following food for thought.

Here are some of my own awareness and decision making exercises in hopes that they serve as a guide, or inspiration. Whenever I have to make career choice, or arrived at a cross to advance in a certain direction, these are some of the things I always ask myself about myself, and my work situation first. Knowing the answers helps me to remain competitive and on the right track, which includes getting what I want (not just give what others want) out of my career, and the right salary.

An employee may not have the final say-so over their salary, but they have the power to create a true win-win situation, if they know the following about their job and themselves.... But never forget, first and foremost the old saying: "Know thyself first!".

1. What is a successful person?
2. What does my career mean to me?
3. How do I do my best every day?
4. How can I improve?
5. How do I build rapport with my employer
6. What is "give value first"?
7. What is the best way to add value?
8. How do I find a mentor?
9. What causes my fear of failure?
10. What should I do with my spare time?
11. How can I invest my time, not spend it?
12. What is the best way to impress my boss?
13. How am I helping to build the business?
14. What do I have to do to get ahead?
15. How do I show my value and create awareness of it?
16. What value do I bring beyond my job description?
17. How do I show that I am loyal?
18. How approachable and cooperative am I?
19. What am I "known" for?
20. What am I recognized as being the best for?
21. What do others in the industry say about me?
22. What is the best time and way to ask for a raise?
23. What is the best way to approach my boss?
24. How can I make my request stand out?
25. What is the best way to follow up?

(Drum-roll) And here the final "AHA"!

26. How much do I love what I do here?
27. What does it take to keep me here?
28. Do I need to look for a job elsewhere?

Opportunities abound in the medical assisting field. The key to success is knowing yourself first, knowing your job, knowing your boss, and knowing the job market. If your boss realizes your value to the success of the practice and patients... chances are s/he will reason with you, and reward you to keep you.

If not, too bad! Know what you want, and what you have to offer, let your boss know what you have to offer, and what you want, and just in case the relationship doesn't work out... always have your resume up-to-date and ready to go.

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.

Medical Assistant Career Outlook

Okay, you have heard it over and over again: medical assisting will be one of the fastest growing occupational healthcare services in the USA through the year 2010. And guess what? It is true!


Recent US Job Market Trend AnalysisHealth care employment has increased by 264,000 jobs over the year 2005, according to a September 2, 2005 statement by BLS Commissioner Kathleen P. Utgoff.


Medical Assistant's OutlookMedical assistants held about 365,000 jobs in 2002. Sixty percent worked in physicians' offices; 15 percent worked in hospitals, including in- and outpatient healthcare facilities. The rest were employed in nursing homes, offices of other health practitioners and other healthcare facilities.

Read: US Department of Labor


US Bureau of Labor Statistics for Medical Assistants:Currently, about 12 million people work in the healthcare industry in the United States, which includes approximately 800,000 physicians in ambulatory (primary), secondary (specialty) and tertiary care, along with 2.1 million RN's and 500,000 medical assistants. The need for medical assistants is expected to continue to grow.

Medical Assistants are on the Move!
Medical assistants are moving into every direction. Their training may qualify them for a variety of other related administrative support occupations such as medical records clerk or medical billing and coding specialist. Some may become medical assisting instructors, while others may continue their own education and work on an associate degree in medical assisting.

There are many job opportunities for medical assistants and more places to work than just physician's offices. Medical Assistants can work in...

• Physician's and healthcare practitioner's medical offices (private and group practices)
• Specialty and subspecialty offices (ophthalmology, podiatry)
• General medical and surgical hospitals
• Offices owned by licensed health practitioners
• Outpatient medical care centers
• Other ambulatory medical services (e.g. emergency services)

Others find work with...

• Ambulatory hemodialysis clinics
• Temporary staffing agencies
• Home healthcare agencies
• Schools
• Rehab clinics and spas
• Correctional facilities and prisons
• Pharmacies
• Chiropractors, dentists, or veterinarians
• US Department of Veterans Affairs

Medical Assistant's Earnings:Medical assistant salary range surveys indicated that the average monthly salaries for entry level medical assistants currently range from $1,600 to $1,760 net per month, compared with a range of $1,500 to $1,600 net three years ago.

After two years of experience average monthly salaries range from $1,900 to $2,200 monthly net; mostly depending on where you live and also what type of medical office. Specialists pay more than general family physicians.

Medical Assistants generally receive higher salaries and more benefits than those without certification credentials.Private Practice vs. HospitalSingle doctors' offices, especially specialty physicians often pay more than hospitals.