Medical Office Assistant Jobs
Medical office assistant jobs are considered high growth in the healthcare sector. If you are thinking about choosing a new career, you might want to consider being a medical assistant. The health care industry is growing due to advances in medicine. There is always a demand for medical office assistants in medical centers, chiropractic and physician offices, hospitals and clinics. One reason is because of the large senior citizen population.
Medical Office Assistant jobs require someone who can be responsible for both administrative and clinical functions. Some of the duties include answering phones, receiving patients and recording appointments, updating and filing medical records, filling out insurance claims, and accounts receivable. There are also laboratory duties to be performed by medical assistants. These tasks vary according to different state laws. Some of the clinical jobs performed medical assistants include taking vital signs, preparing patients for their exams, or assisting the doctor.
Medical assistant jobs also require the employee to collect specimens, give medication as authorized by the doctor and call pharmacies with prescriptions. He or she is also responsible for taking blood, changing dressings, ordering supplies, maintaining equipment inventory and keeping exam rooms clean.
Medical office assistants can advance their careers by specializing in particular areas or by promoting to office manager. With additional certification and training, medical assistants can enter nursing. The United States Bureau of Labor projects that medical assisting will be one of the fastest growing jobs on average through the next four years. This is due to the increasing employment of medical assistants across the healthcare industry. The earnings of medical assistants vary, depending on the employee’s education and experience. Average earnings of medical assistants were $24,610 in May 2004.
Now is the time to step into this rapidly growing occupation. Start with a program that prepares you to apply to medical office assistant jobs. You can find a program in high schools, vocational schools, and junior colleges. These programs usually take a year to get a certificate or diploma, or two years to obtain an associate degree.
Below is a video about medical office assistant job openings:
