How to Advance Your Medical Assistant Career

A career in medical assisting is a great career choice if you are looking to work in a health care setting. It is a job with solid job security as the need for medical assistants is expected to continue to grow by 23 percent by the year 2024.

Your first step is landing your first medical assistant job. But there is no reason you can't continue to climb the ladder of success. The more you advance, you can expect more career options and higher pay. Here are some tips on how to advance your career as a medical assistant.

Education, Education, and More Education

Experience, skills and medical knowledge base are all tools you need as a medical assistant. A top-notch education from an accredited medical assistant program will provide this to you.

But why stop there? Once you complete the medical assisting program, you may want to consider furthering your education. You can do this while working as a medical assistant. Many medical assistants find they have such a passion for their jobs that they go on to nursing school. People who go this route tend to advance rather quickly.

Get Certified

Becoming a certified medical assistant make you so much more attractive to potential employers. You will be eligible to take a certification exam from the American Association of Medical Assistants after you graduate from your medical assisting program.

Experience

Working part-time, volunteering, and interning are all ways to get experience in a medical office while you are completing your education or trying to land your first medical assistant job. If you can get your foot in the door at a medical office, don't take it for granted. Soak in your surroundings and learn as much as you can. Offering to take on increased responsibility will also impress managers and could help you advance more quickly when you are ready.

Seek Specializations

Training in a specialty is a smart choice when it comes to career advancement opportunities. There are a wide array of medical specialties and sub-specialties. Certified medical assistants who go on to do training in these specialties, such as ob-gyn, ophthalmology or podiatry, tend to look extremely attractive to hiring managers in these fields.

Advance Your Medical Assistant Career

Medical assisting is a versatile career choice. The sky is the limit when it comes to your advancement potential. The more education and experience you have, the more opportunities you can expect.

You can fast track this with medical assisting classes at Athena Career Academy. We can teach you valuable skills to give you an edge up while you fast track your career. Contact Athena Career Academy today to find out more about our medical assistant program.