Become a Medical Assistant and Make a Difference in Healthcare
Posted On January 14,2025
Feeling stuck in a job that lacks purpose or fulfillment? Do you feel like you’re in a rut with nowhere to go? If you are trapped in a career going nowhere, it may be time for a change. Working in healthcare allows you to make a real difference. While there are many different careers in healthcare, medical assistants play an important role in helping things run smoothly. Becoming a medical assistant can lead to a fulfilling career where you can directly impact your patients’ lives and feel like you are making a real difference.
Medical Assistants Have a Vital Role in Patient Care
As a medical assistant, you will likely be the first point of contact for your patients, setting the tone for their entire visit. Medical assistants will greet the patient and provide a warm and welcoming presence. Many patients are anxious about their visit, feel vulnerable, or are in pain, and medical assistants can make sure that they feel comfortable. When your patients feel comfortable, they will be more open with you as you take their history and prepare them for the doctor. During the appointment, you can be a comforting presence during procedures, assisting the medical staff while supporting the patient. At the end of the visit, you will make sure that the patient understands everything that happened during their appointment and the next steps they need to take, such as medication instructions, follow-up appointments, or understanding their condition.
Medical Assistants are Used in Many Ways in the Healthcare System
Medical assistants have many different roles to fill daily on the job. Most medical assistants have a balance of administrative work, such as managing patient records, scheduling appointments, and processing billing and insurance paperwork, and clinical work, including taking patient histories, vital signs, and assisting the medical staff during examinations and procedures. Depending on the facility, medical assistants may have additional administrative or clinical tasks such as coordinating follow-up care, administering medication or injections, or taking samples. Yet one of the most essential tasks medical assistants perform is managing communication between patients and medical staff. A medical assistant will listen to each patient’s needs and concerns and communicate them to the medical staff. At the end of the appointment, they will make sure that the patient understands everything the doctor has said to them about their health.
Becoming a Medical Assistant is the First Step on a Promising Career in Healthcare
You don’t have to want to be a doctor or nurse. Medical assisting is fulfilling as a career with plenty of variety and opportunity to grow. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for advancement. Many medical assistants go back and get extra certifications in specialties that allow them to work in medical imaging, phlebotomy, or surgery. Some medical assistants will take on additional roles in management or administration. For those inspired to take on a more significant challenge, medical assisting can provide an excellent foundation for a nursing degree or even a degree that can lead to medical school.
There are Many Benefits to Choosing a Career as a Medical Assistant
While the job of a medical assistant is fulfilling on its own, there are many other benefits to choosing a career as a medical assistant. The primary benefit is job security. The healthcare industry is still growing, with all medical professionals, particularly medical assistants, in high demand. With the population aging, more patients have access to healthcare, and the more treatments for conditions patients face, demand will continue to grow. This means that while other professions may struggle to find and keep a job, as a medical assistant, you can feel secure that you will always have work. In addition, medical assistants make a competitive salary, which will only increase with experience and advancement. Medical assisting allows both stability and flexibility. Depending on the facility you work in, you can adjust your schedule to fit in with your life, whether that’s a weekday schedule working daytime hours in a physician’s office or a different shift to accommodate family needs at a hospital or clinic with extended hours.
Becoming a Medical Assistant
If you want to become a medical assistant, you can go from your first class to your first day on the job in under a year with a program at a certified training school. Choosing an accredited program will allow you to become certified as a medical assistant and guarantee that you will have a comprehensive curriculum that thoroughly prepares you for anything you may encounter as a medical assistant. Medical assisting programs balance classwork and clinic hours to ensure you have all the experience you need. With the flexible schedule offered by career academies offering medical assistant training programs, you can balance work, family, and school while preparing for your new career.
If you’re ready to get out of a dead-end career where you feel like you don’t matter and jump into a job where you can make a real difference, now is the perfect time to become a medical assistant. When you enroll in a medical assistant training program, you take the first step toward a fulfilling career where you will always be in demand. Contact Athena Career Academy today to learn more.