Medical Assistant Career Guide

Medical assistants combine personal communication and office skills with some clinical skills to serve as support staff for doctors and nurses. When working in an office setting, they may call in prescriptions, correspond with insurance companies, and file patient charts. Now that many medical facilities are transitioning to electronic filing systems, medical assistants may also do the manual work to convert paper files to electronic format.

When working in a clinical setting, medical assistants often serve as intake professionals. This may include recording the patient?s weight, height, and blood pressure readings, or taking a detailed medical history and asking for the reason the patient is visiting. Some medical assistants obtain additional training, so they qualify for other tasks, including collecting mouth swabs, administering urine tests, and drawing blood. Each state establishes their own guidelines on which tasks medical assistants can perform with and without certification.

Employers train some medical assistants, while other medical assistants obtain associate?s degrees or attend vocational schools. Those interested in earning more money become certified medical assistants (CMAs). This requires passing a test to acquire a license from the American Association of Medical Assistants.

Regardless of whether you want to become a medical assistant who performs more receptionist-type duties, of if you would rather spend most of your time working directly with patients, the best way to get an in-depth understanding of this career field is to read our real-world career profiles. Listen to experienced medical assistants talk about what they do on a daily basis and why they enjoy their jobs. Check out the profiles below to determine if is the right career for you.