Activities	Perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists running smoothly.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$28,860 per year in May 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Medical assistants work in well-lit, clean environments. They constantly interact with other people, and may have to handle several responsibilities at once. Most full-time medical assistants work a regular 40-hour week. Some work part-time, evenings, or weekends.
Minimum Education Requirements	Technical Program
Skills	Social Perceptiveness, Instructing, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Speaking
Abilities	Oral Expression, Near Vision, Speech Clarity, Oral Comprehension
Interviews	Phyllis Shipper

Job Category		Healthcare Support
Job Description		Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists running smoothly. They should not be confused with physician assistants who examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the direct supervision of a physician. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on office location, size, and specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually are "generalists," handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area under the supervision of department administrators. Medical assistants perform many administrative duties. They answer telephones, greet patients, update and file patient medical records, fill out insurance forms, handle correspondence, schedule appointments, arrange for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handle billing and bookkeeping. Clinical duties vary according to state law and include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They instruct patients about medication and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for X-rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings. Medical assistants also may arrange examining room instruments and equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean. Assistants who specialize have additional duties. Podiatric medical assistants make castings of feet, expose and develop X-rays, and assist podiatrists in surgery. Ophthalmic medical assistants help ophthalmologists provide medical eye care. They conduct diagnostic tests, measure and record vision, and test eye muscle function. They also show patients how to insert, remove, and care for contact lenses; and they apply eye dressings. Under the direction of the physician, they may administer eye medications. They also maintain optical and surgical instruments and may assist the ophthalmologist in surgery.
Working Conditions		Medical assistants work in well-lit, clean environments. They constantly interact with other people, and may have to handle several responsibilities at once. Most full-time medical assistants work a regular 40-hour week. Some work part-time, evenings, or weekends. They generally work indoors in environmentally controlled conditions, must be very exact and highly accurate in performing their jobs, work with external customers and the public, are often required to wear common protective or safety equipment, may be exposed to diseases or infections, and may require long periods of standing. Medical assistants deal with the public; therefore, they must be neat and well-groomed and have a courteous, pleasant manner. Medical assistants must be able to put patients at ease and explain physicians' instructions. They must respect the confidential nature of medical information. Clinical duties require a reasonable level of manual dexterity and visual acuity.
Salary Range		The median annual wage of medical assistants was $28,860 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,810, and the top 10 percent earned more than $40,190.

Education Required		Most employers prefer graduates of formal programs in medical assisting. Such programs are offered in vocational-technical high schools, postsecondary vocational schools, community and junior colleges, and in colleges and universities. Postsecondary programs usually last either 1 year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or 2 years, resulting in an associate degree. Courses cover anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology as well as typing, transcription, record keeping, accounting, and insurance processing. Students learn laboratory techniques, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmaceutical principles, medication administration, and first aid. They study office practices, patient relations, medical law, and ethics. Accredited programs include an internship that provides practical experience in physicians' offices, hospitals, or other healthcare facilities. Formal training in medical assisting, while generally preferred, is not always required. Some medical assistants are trained on the job, although this is less common than in the past. Applicants usually need a high school diploma or the equivalent. Recommended high school courses include mathematics, health, biology, typing, bookkeeping, computers, and office skills. Volunteer experience in the healthcare field also is helpful. They may qualify for a variety of administrative support occupations, or may teach medical assisting. Some, with additional education, enter other health occupations such as nursing and medical technology. Medical assistants may be able to advance to office manager.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Clerical, Mathematics, English, Chemistry
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Psychology, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training, Mathematics, Therapy and Counseling, Chemistry, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Clerical
Certification and Licensing		Although there is no licensing for medical assistants, some states require them to take a test or a course before they can perform certain tasks, such as taking X-ays. Employers prefer to hire experienced workers or certified applicants who have passed a national examination, indicating that the medical assistant meets certain standards of competence. The American Association of Medical Assistants awards the Certified Medical Assistant credential; the American Medical Technologists awards the Registered Medical Assistant credential; the American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants awards the Podiatric Medical Assistant Certified credential; and the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology awards credentials at three levels Certified Ophthalmic Assistant, Certified Ophthalmic Technician, and Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist.

Interest Area		Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people.
Work Values		Moral Values Never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment.
Skills		Social Perceptiveness Be aware of others' reactions and understand why they react the way they do. Instructing Teach others how to do something. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer). Speech Clarity Able to speak clearly so listeners understand. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Therapist, Radiation, Nurse, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational, Nurse, Registered, Technologist, Nuclear Medicine, Assistant, Dental, Technician, Emergency Medical, and Paramedic
Job Outlook		Medical assistants held about 527,600 jobs in 2010. Almost 62 percent worked in offices of physicians. As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, there will be an increased need for all health care workers. Increasing use of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2020 as the health services industry expands because of technological advances in medicine, and a growing and aging population. Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly-growing healthcare industries will result in fast employment growth for the occupation. In fact, medical assistants is projected to be the fastest growing occupation over the 2010–20 period. Employment growth will be driven by the increase in the number of group practices, clinics, and other healthcare facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly the flexible medical assistant who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants primarily work in outpatient settings, where much faster than average growth is expected. In view of the preference of many health care employers for trained personnel, job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, particularly those with certification.
More Information		American Medical Technologists, Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology, American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants, American Association of Medical Assistants, American Medical Association - Health Care Careers
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Medical Assistants, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/31-9092.00