Want to Become a Medical Assistant? Here’s What You Need to Know!

Medical assistants are allied healthcare professionals who are responsible to perform clinical and administrative tasks in a variety of different medical settings such as hospitals, physicians’ offices, and more. Medical assistants’ responsibilities vary with the size, location, and specialty of the practice. 

Pursuing a career as a medical assistant can be rewarding and lucrative for an individual who has always wanted to work in the healthcare industry. If you have decided to get enrolled in medical assistant training in NYC to start your journey as a medical assistant, make sure you are equipped with the right information regarding your preferred career option. 

Here are the duties you will be performing as a medical assistant. 

• Take document patient history and personal information. This personal information should be kept confidential and shared only with medical staff who are involved in the patient’s treatment. 
• Enter patient information into medical records
• Schedule patient appointments
• Prepare blood samples for laboratory tests
• Measure vital signs, such as blood pressure
• Help the doctor or physician with patient examinations
• Give patients injections or medications as directed by doctors and as authorized by state law

Today, many physicians and hospitals are using EHR (electronic health records) to record and document patient information in electronic form. Thus, it has become imperative to learn the EHR software that is used in medical settings. 

Medical assistants are not physician assistants, who are responsible for examining, diagnosing, and treating patients under a doctor’s supervision. 

In larger medical settings, medical assistants might be required to specialize in either clinical or administrative work.  

Education requirements for medical assistants 

Medical assistants usually complete their postsecondary education programs to work in the field. Even though these programs have no formal educational requirements to pursue a career as a medical assistant, many employers prefer employees who have graduated from these programs. 

The medical assistant training program typically takes about 1 year to complete and can be done from universities, technical schools, vocational schools, community colleges, and a medical assistant school in NYC. These programs often help in obtaining a certification or a diploma. All programs include theoretical as well as practical training. 

Licenses and certifications for medical assistants 

Medical assistants are not required to obtain certification in most states. However, having a certification always gives you an edge over others. 

There are five certifications accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies:

• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) from the American Association of Medical Assistants
• Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) from the National Healthcareer Association
• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) from American Medical Technologists
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) from the National Healthcareer Association
• National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) from the National Center for Competency Testing

Medical assistant job prospect is expected to grow 19% over the next ten years. So if you are interested in making a successful career in this field, now is the time.