Medical assistant? what exactly to they do?
i'm thinking about going for medical assistant but i want to be sure of everything they do and how well is the remuneration and is it worth it.
Answers: My sister is a MA and went to school for it. I don't recommend it as a profession. (For the record, I have experience within hospitals as a medical social worker, so I'm familiar with the world o'medicine too).
Why don't I recommend MA? Because for the money you'll recompense and the effort you'll put into your education, upon graduation, you will discover to your disappointment that you are qualified almost exclusively for low-level, mostly clerical positions near little opportunity for advancement. There are better things to study. I'll discuss those at the end after I thoroughly talk you out of MA.
In the out-of-date days, there was more room to grow within the MA field, because doctors had their own practices, and needed responsible competent empire to manage many facet of the medical office. If you were rock-hard working and pretty, you might even get to marry a doctor (but please, don't steal him away if he's already married). This is no longer the case: Most docs in a minute go into group and managed practices, and the department staff is more specialized, with people doing specialized things, similar to billing, insurance, filing, appointments, and yes, as you asked, phlebotomy.
Your MA training will probably not give you plenty training in the most remunerative positions in the medical organization, which include billing, transcription, and management (these jobs are sometimes call "back office"). You need a bachelor's point in business admin to be a serious contender for a medical practice manager (not to mention oodles years' experience). Your first, and possibly second and third jobs will be front office as a receptionist/clerk, next to plenty of filing/photocopying/faxing, and a cordless headset strapped to your face, taking calls at like peas in a pod time.
My sister, who is a bright, competent, and frankly beautiful woman, regrets her choice of MA, because it's too hard to find a running job, and far too easy to find a position doing menial things that everybody hates, like medical file. She has no training in transcription, or billing & insurance; and her coworkers jealously guarded their job, not providing her with any training so she could get a foot within the door.
Now, about the job: As a front-line worker, you will be dealing beside sick and grumpy people on the phone and in individual, all day, every sunshine. Your doctor will be overscheduled, and you, not s/he, will be taking the white-hot blame for this, all day, every sunshine. People will argue about charges and insurance with you. You will appointment in prescriptions to cranky overworked pharmacy techs off impossible to make out charts.
Doctors are prima donnas, and have ridiculously inflated senses of their own self-worth, and a corresponding nasty quirk of thinking everybody else (including you) is beneath them. After the patients scream at you all afternoon, you can look forward to a regular dressing-down from the physicians of the office over stupid things, things that you probably weren't responsible for and/or were completely out of your control. If you hold the guts to stick up for yourself, you might get fired.
Despite the handsome salaries doctors within the U.S. make (averaging about $200K/yr these days), you will be lucky to see one-tenth of that surrounded by your first job (and the 2nd and the 3rd). Since docs think everybody else is beneath them, they don't usually quality they need to pay you top dollar. Don't believe me? The U.S. gov't agrees. Browse to and bookmark this page: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos164.htm where on earth there is a discussion of the field. Note that the middle of settle up scale average in the U.S. is nearly $21K/yr. If you live in a part of the country where on earth wages are lower than the national average, expect to be paid less. My sister worked for a practice where on earth the doctors would pick the most expensive things out of the holiday gift baskets sent to the office at Christmastime, and walk off the leftovers for the rest of the staff.
Your doctors make obedient money by being open evenings and weekends, and you can expect, especially when you're first out of institution, that you will also work evenings and weekends. If you were making $250,000 and could set your own hours, you probably wouldn't mind working on Saturdays. If you are making $18,000 and are being constantly yell at and told what to do, not so much, amirite?
Okay already. I think I've done a great job of explaining a moment ago how evil the MA field is. I really really want you to reconsider this. IMO, it is a crime that within are schools for this at all--people should be learn this opportunity on the job. Now I will provide you with planning for better jobs, jobs where on earth you have more autonomy, better wages, and more respect.
First of all, since you enjoy the internets, take some time to read online about hot career. What's in demand? What pays very well? What are the requirements? Find something that works. Stop by your local community college and root around like a raccoon in a litter can, learning about programs and job. If you like the medical field, I recommend the following, depending upon mission availability and wages in your area:
Medical transcriptionist; medical billing; x-ray tech; surgical tech; other medical tech job, and possibly pharmacy tech.
If you want to do a 2-year program, go to your nearest career university or community college, and find out what's hot and what's not. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND DON'T RELY ON THE OPINIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY AND YOUR BUTT IN THEIR SCHOOL. Things that you most certainly should not consider: Culinary, massage dream therapy, 2-year IT (computer science) programs, vet assistant, retail, design, computer game design. If it exists in your nouns, I also don't recommend anything social services or criminal justice related, unless you're seriously wanting to be a cop. (DO NOT study child welfare for instance).
Other things you might consider: Auto repair, bookkeeping, COURT REPORTER (hot field, work for yourself making going on for $50K/year to start, all you have to do is type hasty and listen), and look into trades. Are there any trade programs in your nouns where you can learn a trade and gain paid for on the job training? The problem I see near many trades is that in the U.S., is that construction job are in serious decline, and so there will be no constraint for many tradespeople, like electricians and bricklayers and framers. On the other appendage, you might consider HVAC (air conditioning) and plumber.
If you want to know more about hiring for jobs contained by your area, call the HR departments of somewhere it is you're interested in, and ask questions. For instance, christen your local hospital's HR department and ask: "I'm thinking about a job as a medical assistant. Do you hire MAs? What variety of work do you have them do? How much do you pay them? Is nearby a career path for them, specifically, can they be promoted to other jobs? Which ones?" TAKE NOTES.
Take some time and look up the careers I've mentioned, and any other ones you can focus of, on the www.bls.gov/oco/ website I gave you above.
I've taken a lot of time to answer your request for information, because I know how hard it is to get solid, accurate and honest information roughly careers. View your typical college admissions counselor approaching you would a used car salesman. Be polite, take proceedings, learn the basics from them, next go home and find out as much as you can on your own.
Best wishes to you.
I think it would be a really fitting job. The hours would usually be good because you would follow the hours of a doctor's organization. And there are some hospitals that hire a few CMAs. I would do it myself, but it is just too expensive and time-consuming. The community college here singular offers an Associates degree contained by Medical Assisting and the private schools do take smaller amount time, but they can be $20,000+. :(
MAs take patient histories, nick vital signs, give shots, clutch blood, handle a lot of administrative department duties, etc... So if you do have a problem with needles, human being an MA might not be for you.
If you go to the website below, you can see the pay is pretty flawless. But you also have to take into consideration that you may own student loans after completing a Medical Assistant program.
If you think you can get over your obsession of needles, I would suggest trying to be an LPN instead of an MA. Just because you would make more as an LPN, but you would invest the same time and money into becoming an LPN as you would an MA.
Good luck on anything you decide!
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Answers: My sister is a MA and went to school for it. I don't recommend it as a profession. (For the record, I have experience within hospitals as a medical social worker, so I'm familiar with the world o'medicine too).
Why don't I recommend MA? Because for the money you'll recompense and the effort you'll put into your education, upon graduation, you will discover to your disappointment that you are qualified almost exclusively for low-level, mostly clerical positions near little opportunity for advancement. There are better things to study. I'll discuss those at the end after I thoroughly talk you out of MA.
In the out-of-date days, there was more room to grow within the MA field, because doctors had their own practices, and needed responsible competent empire to manage many facet of the medical office. If you were rock-hard working and pretty, you might even get to marry a doctor (but please, don't steal him away if he's already married). This is no longer the case: Most docs in a minute go into group and managed practices, and the department staff is more specialized, with people doing specialized things, similar to billing, insurance, filing, appointments, and yes, as you asked, phlebotomy.
Your MA training will probably not give you plenty training in the most remunerative positions in the medical organization, which include billing, transcription, and management (these jobs are sometimes call "back office"). You need a bachelor's point in business admin to be a serious contender for a medical practice manager (not to mention oodles years' experience). Your first, and possibly second and third jobs will be front office as a receptionist/clerk, next to plenty of filing/photocopying/faxing, and a cordless headset strapped to your face, taking calls at like peas in a pod time.
My sister, who is a bright, competent, and frankly beautiful woman, regrets her choice of MA, because it's too hard to find a running job, and far too easy to find a position doing menial things that everybody hates, like medical file. She has no training in transcription, or billing & insurance; and her coworkers jealously guarded their job, not providing her with any training so she could get a foot within the door.
Now, about the job: As a front-line worker, you will be dealing beside sick and grumpy people on the phone and in individual, all day, every sunshine. Your doctor will be overscheduled, and you, not s/he, will be taking the white-hot blame for this, all day, every sunshine. People will argue about charges and insurance with you. You will appointment in prescriptions to cranky overworked pharmacy techs off impossible to make out charts.
Doctors are prima donnas, and have ridiculously inflated senses of their own self-worth, and a corresponding nasty quirk of thinking everybody else (including you) is beneath them. After the patients scream at you all afternoon, you can look forward to a regular dressing-down from the physicians of the office over stupid things, things that you probably weren't responsible for and/or were completely out of your control. If you hold the guts to stick up for yourself, you might get fired.
Despite the handsome salaries doctors within the U.S. make (averaging about $200K/yr these days), you will be lucky to see one-tenth of that surrounded by your first job (and the 2nd and the 3rd). Since docs think everybody else is beneath them, they don't usually quality they need to pay you top dollar. Don't believe me? The U.S. gov't agrees. Browse to and bookmark this page: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos164.htm where on earth there is a discussion of the field. Note that the middle of settle up scale average in the U.S. is nearly $21K/yr. If you live in a part of the country where on earth wages are lower than the national average, expect to be paid less. My sister worked for a practice where on earth the doctors would pick the most expensive things out of the holiday gift baskets sent to the office at Christmastime, and walk off the leftovers for the rest of the staff.
Your doctors make obedient money by being open evenings and weekends, and you can expect, especially when you're first out of institution, that you will also work evenings and weekends. If you were making $250,000 and could set your own hours, you probably wouldn't mind working on Saturdays. If you are making $18,000 and are being constantly yell at and told what to do, not so much, amirite?
Okay already. I think I've done a great job of explaining a moment ago how evil the MA field is. I really really want you to reconsider this. IMO, it is a crime that within are schools for this at all--people should be learn this opportunity on the job. Now I will provide you with planning for better jobs, jobs where on earth you have more autonomy, better wages, and more respect.
First of all, since you enjoy the internets, take some time to read online about hot career. What's in demand? What pays very well? What are the requirements? Find something that works. Stop by your local community college and root around like a raccoon in a litter can, learning about programs and job. If you like the medical field, I recommend the following, depending upon mission availability and wages in your area:
Medical transcriptionist; medical billing; x-ray tech; surgical tech; other medical tech job, and possibly pharmacy tech.
If you want to do a 2-year program, go to your nearest career university or community college, and find out what's hot and what's not. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND DON'T RELY ON THE OPINIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY AND YOUR BUTT IN THEIR SCHOOL. Things that you most certainly should not consider: Culinary, massage dream therapy, 2-year IT (computer science) programs, vet assistant, retail, design, computer game design. If it exists in your nouns, I also don't recommend anything social services or criminal justice related, unless you're seriously wanting to be a cop. (DO NOT study child welfare for instance).
Other things you might consider: Auto repair, bookkeeping, COURT REPORTER (hot field, work for yourself making going on for $50K/year to start, all you have to do is type hasty and listen), and look into trades. Are there any trade programs in your nouns where you can learn a trade and gain paid for on the job training? The problem I see near many trades is that in the U.S., is that construction job are in serious decline, and so there will be no constraint for many tradespeople, like electricians and bricklayers and framers. On the other appendage, you might consider HVAC (air conditioning) and plumber.
If you want to know more about hiring for jobs contained by your area, call the HR departments of somewhere it is you're interested in, and ask questions. For instance, christen your local hospital's HR department and ask: "I'm thinking about a job as a medical assistant. Do you hire MAs? What variety of work do you have them do? How much do you pay them? Is nearby a career path for them, specifically, can they be promoted to other jobs? Which ones?" TAKE NOTES.
Take some time and look up the careers I've mentioned, and any other ones you can focus of, on the www.bls.gov/oco/ website I gave you above.
I've taken a lot of time to answer your request for information, because I know how hard it is to get solid, accurate and honest information roughly careers. View your typical college admissions counselor approaching you would a used car salesman. Be polite, take proceedings, learn the basics from them, next go home and find out as much as you can on your own.
Best wishes to you.
I think it would be a really fitting job. The hours would usually be good because you would follow the hours of a doctor's organization. And there are some hospitals that hire a few CMAs. I would do it myself, but it is just too expensive and time-consuming. The community college here singular offers an Associates degree contained by Medical Assisting and the private schools do take smaller amount time, but they can be $20,000+. :(
MAs take patient histories, nick vital signs, give shots, clutch blood, handle a lot of administrative department duties, etc... So if you do have a problem with needles, human being an MA might not be for you.
If you go to the website below, you can see the pay is pretty flawless. But you also have to take into consideration that you may own student loans after completing a Medical Assistant program.
If you think you can get over your obsession of needles, I would suggest trying to be an LPN instead of an MA. Just because you would make more as an LPN, but you would invest the same time and money into becoming an LPN as you would an MA.
Good luck on anything you decide!