Medical Assistants: An Important Career Across The Country
There are many people interested in the medical profession yet simply don’t have the time to get involved in the intense formal training that is required. Yet they are not giving up on their medical dreams. Instead, they are becoming medical assistants. By obtaining their medical assistant degree in Fort Collins, they are offering much needed support in family practices, ophthalmologists’ departments and other clinical settings.
What is a Medical Assistant?
A medical assistant will work with physicians and other medical professionals in a variety of settings. They offer needed assistance in providing patients with quality healthcare services. They perform a wide range of duties that may entail performing lab tests, drawing blood work, completing billing services, greeting patients who arrive for appointments, and explaining certain medical treatments to patients. Most work performed by medical assistants will be administrative and clinical tasks.
How does a Person Become a Medical Assistant?
People do not need to have formal training to become a medical assistant. They can obtain on-the-job training while only having a high school diploma. For those people who desire to have a degree in the medical profession, they may attend a college in Fort Collins that offers medical education and training to earn a certification or 2-year associate degree. In addition, degree programs also allow for people to pick a certain specialization, such as working in podiatry, chiropractic services, or other specific medical fields.
High Demand for Medical Assistants
While the medical assistant field doesn’t offer a high salary range (usually $29,000 yearly), it is a job that is in very high demand across the country. This growing demand allows medical assistants to decide on the type of clinic or office that they wish to work in. People who have degrees will often stand out in the professional crowd versus those who only have a high school diploma. Yet people can persevere to find the right position that will allow them to be in the medical field and offer their services to both doctors and patients.
The need for more medical professionals (due to the aging population) is a great reason to enter this field. There is an added incentive for those interested in medical assisting: A medical assisting degree can be a stepping stone to further education. Some medical assistants, for example, go on to become nurses, expanding their career and earning options.
