4 Signs You Should Pursue A Medical Assistant Degree

A career in medical assisting may appear straightforward.

While a certain level of education and experience is necessary to work as a medical assistant, there are some personality traits you can translate onto the job for even more success. Here are four signs you have what it takes to thrive in the role. 

1. Like To Help Others

Many compassionate people have dreamed of a career in the medical field but sometimes spending years in medical school is not an option. Becoming a Medical Assistant will allow you to make the most of your compassion for others and interest in healthcare. Medical Assistants typically work with patients, perform medical procedures, and assist with the doctor’s front office. In this capacity, you can help patients when they need care and support the most. You can comfort them when they are sick, in pain or just scared about what’s happening to them. Sometimes what helps them the most is someone telling them everything will be okay.

2. Want to Interact with a Diverse Population

 The wide range of administrative and clinical responsibilities makes a medical assistant career appealing to many people. Medical assistants work in a variety of locations, including doctors offices, clinic, rehabilitation centers, outpatient surgical centers, nursing homes, and hospitals. This means you will encounter a diverse population of patients with unique individual needs.

The medical assistant one of the first faces a patient might see when going to a hospital or doctor’s office. MA’s are typically the staff members that check a patient’s vital signs and prepare them for any exams and/or procedures. The important work the MA does lays the foundation for the doctor to proceed with the patient.

3. Work in Professional Healthcare Settings

Medical assisting is a great career choice for those who want to work in a healthcare setting without spending years upon years in school.  Better yet, you will have the ability to seek positions that align with your specific needs and interests.

It may surprise you to learn that not all medical assistants work in hospitals. In fact, only 15 percent of them do, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A majority of them are employed in physicians’ offices. Other employers include chiropractors’ offices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and more

4. Constantly Learning 

Healthcare is a forever-changing field. That’s why medical assistants are constantly learning.  If you love to be up-to-date on the latest trends, technology and procedures, this might be an appealing career. In addition, medical assistants must take continuing education courses in order to maintain their credentials. Some of the requirements for recertification can be met through maintaining employment in the field and participation in a recognized organization related to their field of work.

Although the work can be demanding, you’ll finish every shift knowing your work as a medical assistant made a difference in people’s lives. The face-to-face interaction you’ll have with patients and their families is rewarding. The important duties you’ll be tasked with also make you a valuable member of the medical team, which is something you can be proud of at the end of the day.

Now that you know how a medical assistant career could fit into your life, are you ready to learn more about how to become one? If so, visit www.athenacareers.edu, or call 419-329-4075 today.