| For all the grim news on the current job market, the | | | | as well as patient scheduling and relaying prescriptions |
| future is still bright for students who’ve chosen a | | | | to pharmacies. |
| career path as a medical assistant. | | | | Second, there are clinical positions. These focus on |
| The American Association of Medical Assistants | | | | direct assistance with patient care: setting up |
| reported that there were approximately 417,000 | | | | examination rooms, preparing patients for exams or |
| medical assistant on the job in 2006 – and that | | | | treatment, taking vital signs, performing basic laboratory |
| figure has grown ever since. Better than 60 percent | | | | tests and assisting with actual treatments and |
| were in physicians’ offices. Some 12 percent were | | | | procedures. |
| in hospitals and nearly 11 percent worked with | | | | The third and most common type of position includes a |
| chiropractors, podiatrists and other healthcare | | | | combination of both administrative and clinical duties. In |
| practitioners. Trained medical assistants are also found | | | | fact, most medical assisting positions involve at least |
| in outpatient care centers, laboratories, nursing care | | | | some of both work types; the proportion can vary |
| facilities and government agencies. In short, the | | | | widely from job to job. |
| demand is wide and diverse. | | | | A medical assistant job in any facility will have its own |
| According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical | | | | special requirements and procedures. It’s not |
| assisting jobs are expected to increase 35 percent | | | | expected that a newly-hired MA will be able to jump |
| over their 2006 level, in just the next seven years. | | | | straight in. On-the-job training and familiarization are |
| That’s considerably faster than most other career | | | | expected for any new hire. |
| fields. | | | | How easy will it be to find a medical assisting position, |
| Physicians’ offices generally offer three basic | | | | once you’ve graduated? A quick search of |
| types of medical assistant positions. | | | | job-hunting can turn up dozens of openings for people |
| First are administrative positions, which concentrate on | | | | newly entering the field. Looking to the future, |
| the many clerical and secretarial functions vital in any | | | | government studies cite several key factors predicting |
| health care facility. These can include greeting patients | | | | greater and greater demand for health care and health |
| and taking medical histories and insurance information | | | | care professionals. |