Medical & Healthcare
Careers
Medical Assistant
Salary ranges from $17,000 to $34,000 per year
Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much
faster than the average for all occupations through the year
2012 as the health services industry expands because of technological
advances in medicine, and a growing and aging population.
Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly-growing
healthcare industries will result in fast employment growth
for the occupation. In fact, medical assistants is projected
to be the fastest growing occupation over the 2002–12 period.
Career Requirements
Most employers prefer graduates of formal programs in medical
assisting. Such programs are offered in vocational-technical
high schools, postsecondary vocational schools, and community
and junior colleges.
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Job Description
Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical
tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors,
and other health practitioners running smoothly. They should
not be confused with physician assistants, who examine, diagnose,
and treat patients under the direct supervision of a physician.
The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office,
depending on the location and size of the practice and the
practitioner’s specialty. In small practices, medical assistants
usually are “generalists,” handling both administrative and
clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager,
physician, or other health practitioner.
Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular
area, under the supervision of department administrators.
Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including
answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing
patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling
correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital
admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and
bookkeeping.
Clinical duties vary according to State law and include taking
medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment
procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination,
and assisting the physician during the examination.
Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens
or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose
of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments.
They instruct patients about medications and special diets,
prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician,
authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions
to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for x rays, take
electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings.
This site contains all original Content.
Some data sourced from: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
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