Are Medical Assistants Needed?

Lots and lots of people depend on the medical assistant's skills and many enjoy and appreciate their services! And doctors everywhere depend on them to keep their medical practice organized and running smoothly. Over 819,000 physicians and surgeons, 2.4 million registered nurses, 77,000 occupational therapists, 182,000 physical therapists, 94,000 respiratory therapists across the USA are in consistent need of qualified medical assistants.

Estimates are that there are over two million people employed in allied health professions in the United States alone, of which many are medical assistants in clinical, administrative and other highly specialized positions (e.g. phlebotomy). Despite the present high unemployment rates healthcare and medical services continue to thrive like never before. There is plenty of room for men and women to enter into the medical assisting field. If you are interested, let us just say that as long as you have a sincere desire to do well, are willing to attend school to train and earn your medical assisting credentials then doctors, medical office managers and recruiters are willing to hire you.

Where Can I Work In My Role As A Medical Assistant?

Medical assistants can work in almost any medical facility where they are supervised by the physician who hired them. Doctors and senior medical staff train, supervise and monitor their medical assistant's activities on the job.

The neat thing about being a medical assistant is that there are so many possibilities in the healthcare field and opportunities in medical services remain wide open. There are countless special focus areas such as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal, gynecology, urology, dermatology, or cardiology and you can work in so many places, from small single-provider to large group practices, to ambulatory health clinics and large regional medical centers—it's all out there and available to you if you apply yourself and are dedicated to your future and role as a medical assistant.

Medical Assistant Work Environment

What Will My Duties and Responsibilities Be?

Their responsibilities includes knowledge of medical office administrative and patient care routines, relevant equipment, policies, procedures and strategies to promote effective medical office operations, and procedures for the protection of people, data, property and institutions. Furthermore, a significant part of the day is spent on interpersonal communication, customer services, appointment scheduling and discussing medical billing and health insurance aspects with new and established patients, as well as:

• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of patient's reactions and understanding why they react as they do
• Monitoring — Monitoring treatment areas, patients and other individuals and medical equipment to make improvements or take corrective action
• Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Computers and Software

• Using accounting software — Billing software; bookkeeping software
• Electronic mail software — Email software; Microsoft Exchange
• Medical software — Patient management software; visual electro diagnostic software
• Office suite software — Business software applications; Microsoft Office software
• Operating system software — Microsoft Windows Vista Business; Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Various medical screening devices — Apparatuses and monitors

Funding Sources for Your Medical Assistant Training

Where so many are looking for a better job to build a better life, money for education and training can quickly become part of the concerns. While everybody would like to pave the way for a better future, not everybody can afford to go back to school unless they have the necessary funding for vocational training institutions or community college; however money for vocational education IS readily available for those who qualify. US Department of Labor and Workforce Development Career Centers offer services free of charge to help people develop the skills needed to succeed in a meaningful work environment, either at an approved job training site, or in a qualified medical assistant job training program.