How to Become a Medical Assistant
Many often ask, “What is a Medical Assistant”? Medical assistants are healthcare professional s whom complete administrative and may assist in minor clinical tasks in the offices of doctors such as physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners. The duties of medical assistants vary with the location; specialty and size of the medical office and practice were they work. In most cases there are no formal educational requirements for becoming a medical assistant, however most medical assistants have at least a high school or GED diploma. Medical Assistants often learn through on-the-job training, some may advance by completing formal classes often offered at local technical schools, seminars, healthcare facilities or online medical assistant training programs.
The next question you may be asking is, “How are the medical assistantJobs in today’s economy”? Well, according to the US Department of Labor, the employment of medical assistants is expected to grow by whopping 31% over the next ten years! That’s an amazing statistic, making Medical Assistant jobs by far a much faster than the average grow rate of other occupations in the United States. It seems the aging baby-boom population will continue to spur demand for needed medical services, so medical practices continue to expand much faster than in the past couple decades, and doctors will need to hire more Medical Assistants to assist them in performing the routine administrative duties and clinical tasks to keep their offices running smoothly. Medical Assistants will continue to become integrated into the mainstream of the medical and healthcare system.
Much like the jobs and duties of Medical Assistants the training programs for Medical Assistants vary greatly; and as such should be evaluated to meet the student’s n eeds. Most Medical Assistants do very well with the self-study style of online Medical Assistant programs or the over view offered by brief seminars in their field. Some Medical Assistants go on to earn more advance degrees in the field, or in other related healthcare professions. Medical Assistants may also seek additional certification in the field or related credentialing.
One of the best online training programs for Medical Assistants is offered by St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants. This online Medical Assistant program was created over 10 years ago and has a proven record of training Medical Assistants online using the latest in internet and distance education technology. The program as earned national accreditation and certification by the National Accreditation and Certification Boards (NACB), although program accreditation is optional this helps insure medical assistant students and their employers of the medical assistant program’s quality control. The online Medical Assistant course at St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants is best suited for students who can study independently without the need for a rigid classroom structure. However, some may prefer the traditional “chalk and talk” type programs and would be better suited for study at a traditional technical school.
Regardless of where you study to be a medical assistant, there is likely to be a demand for your medical assistant skills and a bright future for you in today’s healthcare and job market!
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Medical Assistant training is now online with our innovative medical assistant program, using distance education technology. In the past medical assistants were trained on the job, but now they can study online with a nationally accredited and certificated medical assistant program offered by St. Augustine School of Medical Assistantsusing the medical assistant courses.
