Is a Medical Assistant Career for You?

A Challenging Career

Are you looking for a meaningful and challenging career? From measuring vital signs and performing lab tests, to greeting patients and scheduling appointments, medical assistants are crucial members of a health care team.

Due to advances in medical technology and a growing population of elderly people in need of medical care, the demand for medical assistants has never been greater. You'll find medical assistants in physician offices, nursing homes, clinics, hospitals and emergency rooms.

Making Things Go Smoothly

With a knowledge base that includes anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, medical insurance billing and coding, medical assistants are highly versatile professionals in both clinical and administrative realms. Medical assistants communicate with a wide variety people including doctors, nurses, patients, medical billing staff, insurance representatives and pharmacists.

A typical day for a medical assistant is never lacking in excitement. As a medical assistant, your primary responsibility is to ensure that everything is working smoothly. You're an important extra set of hands for nurses and administrators. You may stock supplies, answer phones, set up an EKG, draw blood or explain treatment procedures to patients. In this fast-paced environment, you'll need to solve problems and be everywhere at once, while remaining calm and professional.

Providing a Personal Touch

Jennifer Krintz, a veteran medical assistant, highlights the importance of empathy in her work: "When a patient comes in, I'll record their medical history, discuss current symptoms and take their vital signs. I help make the patient feel as comfortable as possible and prepare them to meet with the doctor. Everyone, especially patients, can get stressed out in this environment; you can't take things personally. It's essential to understand where they're coming from."

While medical assisting can be a demanding profession, both emotionally and physically, the personal rewards of working in the medical field are great. As the fastest growing profession in the country, medical assisting will provide you with plentiful job opportunities and the chance to make a difference.

Specialty Areas

Podiatric Medical Assistants

Podiatric MAs make castings of feet, expose and develop x-rays, and assist in podiatrists in surgery.

Ophthalmic Medical Assistants

Ophthalmic MAs assist ophthalmologists in providing medical eye care; conduct diagnostic tests, measure and record vision, and test eye muscle function. They show patients how to insert, remove and care for contact lenses; apply eye dressings. May administer eye medications under care of the physician; and they maintain optical and surgical instruments. They may also assist the ophthalmologist in surgery.