The healthcare industry displayed a consistent growth despite the economic downfall that hit the other industries. A certificate in Medical Assisting can provide you with ample opportunities that can shape your career in way you would want it to. It has been predicted by the US Department of Labor that the demand for well-qualified assistants in the medical area will increase by more than half of what it is now by 2012.

The areas in which the assistants work can be varied and so are their responsibilities. They can perform clinical and administrative duties in several areas like coordinating laboratory services, patient intake and record management, placing and screening calls to doctors, maintaining medical supplies and equipment and many more.

The course of the medical assistant programs also includes the study of subjects like humanities, business and natural sciences in order to provide the candidates with an insight into these sides of medical profession. The other subjects undertaken entirely depends on your selection but you can obtain special training in certain subjects like collections and insurance claim processing, developing office technology, communication skills, learn billing procedures, transcribing medical documents etc.

The graduates from the program have a wide pool of employment scope in clinics, hospitals, private medical practice, insurance companies, and public health departments. A degree in Medical assistance gives you an edge over the other applicants and you have a higher chance of being selected when it comes to placement in better supervisory positions. 

Some information regarding the medical assisting degree programs are provided here. But if you are interested and want to learn in detail about them, the colleges and universities will provide brief answers to all your queries and assist you in taking the best possible decision.

The job of a medical assistant generally includes providing assistance in the clinical and administrative works of a medical office. They provide a consistent and smooth flow of operations in the office. The responsibilities vary from office to office but in general, they assist in answering phone calls, setting appointments, maintaining patients’ record and medical history, etc. The volume of work done by an assistant depends on the size of the office he is working in. 

There are people who do not want to involve themselves in the actual medical procedures involving blood and needles but still want to be a part of the medical profession. A post of a medical assistant will suit these people the best as they actively take part in the operations of the field without even touching the needles.

One of the major drawbacks is that if you do not take your education to higher levels, you will be stuck in the same position for years. So in order to enhance your scope you need to have a degree of the next higher level.

The medical assistants help in managing a busy medical office in a manner that everything seems so right about it. They perform a variety of jobs that helps in the smooth functioning of the entire office. They help in answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing the patients' medical records, filling out insurance forms, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and the handling of the patients’ billing. 

The medical assistants and physical assistants are two distinct entities with distinct job responsibilities. They must not be confused as one. The job of a physical assistant includes diagnosing and treating a patient under direct supervision of medical practitioners whereas the medical assistants perform the administrative and maintenance job in a medical environment.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics came up recently with a report that classified the medical assistants in terms of their working area. 62% of medical assistants work in physical offices, 12% performs their duties in private and public hospitals including both indoor and outdoor facilities and 11% work as assistants in private offices of medical practitioners like optometrist, chiropractors, etc. The facilities for outpatients are on a rise and thus the employment opportunities in this area are bound to increase.

The job market for trained medical assistants is predicted to increase to 35% until the year 2016, which is much higher than other jobs in the US. The increased number of healthcare facilities, group practices, and clinics requiring a large number of support staff are the main reason for the growing employment scope in the area of medical facilities.

A job in this field can fuel your opportunities in other related careers such as nursing, office management, teaching etc.

However, most of the medical assistants in the current scenario receive proper certification after completion of proper training for one or two years in a vocational training school, junior or community colleges. Some of them can even get trained on the job by working in a physical office environment and gaining knowledge and experience.

As mentioned earlier, those who have received a formal training and a degree are more likely to grab a job than those who are being trained on the job. The presence of a certificate or a degree really counts when it comes to this field.