A medical administrative assistant is responsible for the operation of a physician’s office. His or her duties will depend on the type of medical practice but, in most cases, the assistant will be responsible for updating and filing medical records, filling out insurance paperwork and setting up laboratory services and hospital admissions.
If the practice is small, the assistant may also take on some clinical duties. Clinical duties will be regulated by the state when this is the case. If you feel you would like a career in this field and can live off of the medical administrative assistant salary, you may wish to learn more about what is involved in this job.
Medical Administrative Assistant Salary
Your medical administrative assistant salary will depend on where you choose to work, your skill level and your experience. The median annual wage for all in this field as of May 2008 was $28,300.
Those who worked in general medical and surgical hospitals made the most on average while those who worked in offices of other health care professionals made the least. If you are in the top ten percent of this field, you can make more than $39,570. Consider all of the above in determining if this is the right career for you. Some find it is a perfect match while others prefer to pursue other health care fields.
Medical Administrative Assistant Training and Education
If you wish to obtain a job as a medical administrative assistant, you may choose from either on the job training or you may complete a formal training program. Vocational-technical high schools offer this type of program as do junior and community colleges or post secondary vocational schools.
When you choose an accredited program, you will likely be required to complete an internship so you can get practical experience. In some states, you will be given the option of passing a class or taking a test in order to perform more advanced procedures.
Medical Administrative Assistant Certification
Certification is not required by any state at this point. Many choose to pursue certification though as it indicates that you have achieved a certain level of knowledge. The Association of Medical Technologists and the American Association of Medical Assistants award these credentials and the process will depend on which you choose to undergo.
Job Growth Outlook For Medical Administrative Assistants
Job growth outlook for medical assistants as a whole are expected to grow by a whopping 34% between 2008 ans 2018. These figures are taken from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and represents a significantly faster rate of growth than the average in the U.S.
Medical assistants will be under higher and higher demand for a variety of reasons. For one thing, the baby boomer generation which makes up a huge slice of the U.S. population is aging and will be needing more and more health care services.
On top of that, because of the increasing need to cut costs, healthcare services are expected to be delegated more and more away from hospitals and more towards outpatient care centers, nursing facilities, diagnostic facilities and other similar facilities.
This is a fast growing career area and those interested should do some further research online in terms of online certification, education and training. Good luck!