A Need For Medical Assistants

Medical assistants get more responsibilities and see chances to advance. The position is a good entry point for people interested in medicine. They are taking on a larger role in medical offices, and schooling is shorter than that for other medical professions.

Medical assistants are one of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States, because of the surge in health-care needs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Texas Workforce Commission estimates that 2,585 new and vacated positions in this field will come open annually until 2014. Most doctors, hospitals and research facilities require medical assistants to have training and to be certified. Programs provide classroom and on-the-job training, which take approximately one year.

MFW Note: Minnesota projections show much more rapid than average growth (42.3% vs 12.8%) with about 400 total annual average openings from 2004 to 2014.

The BLS indicates "Medical assistants held about 387,000 jobs in 2004. About 6 out of 10 worked in offices of physicians; about 14 percent worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities; and 11 percent worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. The rest worked mostly in outpatient care centers, public and private educational services, other ambulatory health care services, State and local government agencies, employment services, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and nursing care facilities. Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014 as the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population. Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. In fact, medical assistants are projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004 - 14 period."

Once they've gained an education and built up their r?sum?s, the opportunities to move into positions such as office manager or specializing in a certain area are there. Recent graduates earn $10 to $13 an hour. Previous medical experience or being bilingual increases their marketability.

But the first thing employers want to know about a prospective applicant is whether they are good at communicating, said Christine Jones, placement director for Platt College of Oklahoma. "In a medical office, they are the initial contact with the patient," she said. "They're trained to be a doctor's right hand." Their duties run the gamut, depending on the facility they work in. Medical assistants are trained to draw blood, give injections, run basic lab tests and work in the office. And they are filling positions previously held by registered nurses.

Compassion is another essential trait for the job. "When a student comes to us, the No. 1 reason they put down for wanting to be a medical assistant is because they want to be able to help people," said Kelly Drake, director of admissions at PCI Health Training Center.

Employers look for these qualities in medical assistants:

• Caring individuals who show compassion for others
• Maturity to handle serious situations
• Dependability and consistency
• Ability to stay focused
• Professional communication skills
• Neat appearance
• Proficiency in a second language

Information about career opportunities and the Certified Medical Assistant exam is available from the American Association of Medical Assistants, 20 North Wacker Dr., Suite 1575, Chicago, IL 60606. Internet: http://www.aama-ntl.org

Information about career opportunities, training programs, and certification for ophthalmic medical personnel is available from Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology, 2025 Woodlane Dr., St. Paul, MN 55125-2998. Internet: http://www.jcahpo.org/newsite/index.htm

Information about certification for podiatric assistants is available from the American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants, 2l24 South Austin Blvd., Cicero, IL 60804. Internet: http://www.aspma.org/

Source: Dallas Morning News, Angela Macias, 7/8/7