Work for a Chiropractor

Accepting a position under the employ of a chiropractor is an excellent way for anyone, including medical assistants, to make a difference within their community and brings advancement opportunities along with certain benefits and decent pay.

Chiropractic Technologist or Chiropractic Assistant

Just like their medical assistant counterparts in a medical doctor's practice, the chiropractic technologist, or chiropractic assistant works under the direct supervision of a licensed chiropractor, performing both clerical and clinical tasks. While their scope of practice may vary from office to office and state laws and regulations generally may differ from state to state, their duties are assigned based on their qualifications and training and, of course, their ability to communicate, lift, escort, and position patients. The goal is to follow and achieve progressive treatment plan outcomes as defined by a medical physician, and/or the chiropractor.

The chiropractor's office hours typically are Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 5:00PM; no holidays and weekends, unless they keep their office open on Saturdays to accommodate patients that cannot come in during regular work-week hours.

While chiropractors run their administrative and front office similar to any other medical practice and take a medical history the same way other health care providers do, when they examine their patients they primarily look at:

• Muscle strength versus weakness
• Patient's posture in different positions
• Spinal range of motion
• Structural abnormalities

Where Will I Work?

The vast majority of chiropractors operate their own practice; others are partners in a group practice, or partnership office setting. Their daily routine includes nutritional counseling, application and removal of supports and wraps, hot and cold compresses, exercises, decompression, physical and massage therapy regimens, rehab and weight loss counseling, acupuncture and sometimes general medical services. Many recommend nutritional products and natural supplements, ointments and topicals, herbals, pillows, mattresses and orthotics to relief neck pain, back pain, stiff joints and muscle tension.

One important employment prerequisite might be to have a limited x-ray license, since radiological imaging is such a big part of the chiropractor's work. Those wishing to enter into this newly emerging career must research whether there are any specific licensing requirements in their state of residency and the location in which they will practice their skill. Read more about excellent career and specialization opportunities for medical assistants working as a chiropractic assistant.

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

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. 

Opportunities in Medical Assisting

The following was submitted to me via this Blog's comment function, but because comments can be easily missed I have decided to add it directly into our Blog. Unfortunately, it was sent anonymously, and I cannot give proper credit. I am, however, sure, the person who's sent this will not mind. Perhaps he/she will comment again directly under this post.

Thank you!!!

Here it goes:

I'm a Certified and Registered Medical Assistant. All of my experience as an MA has been in the acute-care hospital setting. There has been a trend in hiring MAs in the hospitals.

When you work in an acute care setting versus an ambulatory setting such as a Doctor's office, you make more. Most Hospital-based MAs in the area that I work in make about $23 an hour. There seems to be a lot of MA versus LPN and LPN vs MA on this website regarding scope of practice and wage dispute.

It's true that there is similar training and educational background in the pathways between MAs and LPNs, but where MAs get the administrative side of healthcare, the LPNs get into the more acute care assessment side of patient care. The LPNs are trained more in the direct patient care and can function under their own license.

We as MAs (whether we are CERTIFIED and/or REGISTERED or choose not to be) must work under the supervision of an MD or RN. The role of the MA and LPN in the traditional doctor's office and clinic may be very similar, but the LPNs can also listen to hearts and lungs and make patient care assessment. We as MAs cannot. But we as MAs do have the advantage of having both our clinical and administrative training and are a very valuable team member.

And in many situations, we are a patient care advocate and are often the first person that the patient may request (whether it's the doctor's office or the acute care setting) when they have a question. I also have seen a great phasing out of the LPNs in both of the settings. MAs are being utilized more over the CNAs and the LPNs in our hospitals, as well as often being the working majority in the outpatient clinics and doctor's offices.

Whatever the future holds for them and us, we will always have jobs and be valuable. There should be no us or them. We are supposed to be team players. Yes; LPNs do often get paid more-but it's not that much more that an MA wage. They deserve it based on their education and amount of clinical hours that they put in.

Does it make them more valuable? That depends on what type of work setting they are employed in and what is expected of them and the MAs that they work with. The unfortunate thing is that no matter how many credentials we MAs choose to test for and earn, it still doesn't always increase our wage.

I also have various healthcare assistant licenses (for my MA scope of practice to perform venipunctures and injections) but that still doesn't increase my wage, either. But I do make a good wage as a hospital-based Medical Assistant. And I believe that my experience coupled w/all of my credentials is what got me into the acute care setting.

So; opting to be Certified and credentialed for various specialties (like phlebotomy, ekg, administrative and clinical medical assistant, etc...) does open up doors. Good luck to all the Medical Assistants out there. You all obviously are very passionate about patient care and proud of your role and title.

You deserve to be.

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.