Schooling To Provide Medical Assistant Training
Typically, medical assistant schools offer a high school diploma or equivalent. Many seek formal training in either a two-year associate degree or a one-year certificate or diploma program. Some employers prefer to hire medical assistants who have received certification by taking a national examination in a medical assistant school.
Course work includes anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, typing, transcription, record keeping, accounting and insurance processing. Training should include an internship in a physician's office, hospital or other health-care facility.
A medical assistant's annual salary, according to the Greater Kansas City Health Council, is $ 15,620 to $ 21,216. Earnings vary depending on experience, skill level and location.
"It's a very fulfilling job. Everyday is a new experience," Staley said. "We see so many health-related problems that are different, being in the family practice as opposed to a specialty. Medical assistants can advance to office managers and work in administrative support occupations. Staley also is responsible for hiring nurses, and hopes to become a nurse herself. Medical assistants sometimes reach or further their careers with additional education. Sanders hopes to become a licensed practical nurse in obstetrics. "That opens up more doors for me," Sanders said. "If you're a medical assistant, you really only can work in a doctor's office. I don't have a problem working in a doctor's office, but if you are an LPN or RN, you can branch out into a hospital setting. A district survey found that an average of 5,000 kids daily use clinics at the 36 of 63 schools that have them, said Benjamin Harris, executive director of student services. Because medical assistants often are the first person with whom a patient comes in contact, interpersonal skills are important. Medical assistants in government service have urged the Health Ministry to be more caring and pay them three allowances which only medical officers and nurses enjoy at the moment for doing the same tasks as them. Their union president Mustafa Abdul Majid said the issue over their demand for the critical services, on call and housing allowances had been dragging. "The union is not making a threat or giving an ultimatum in resolving the issue. It only wants the Health Ministry to be as caring to us just as we're expected to be caring to the patients," he said. This would place priority on quality, innovation and promotion of individual responsibilities and society's involvement in improving the quality of life, he said.
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