Medical Assistant

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Work Tasks

• Answer telephones and greet patients
• File medical records, fill out insurance forms, sort mail, and make appointments
• Take medical histories, record vital signs, get patients ready for the exam, explain treatment to the patient, and help during the exam
• Get lab samples, draw blood, take out stitches, change dressings, and take EKG's
• Work in offices for doctors, hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes
• Work with x-ray and EKG machines, lab samples, office equipment, patient medical records, insurance forms, and other papers

Salary, Size & Growth

• $32,500 average per year ($15.50 per hour)
• A large occupation (570,600 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow rapidly (3.2% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: On-the-job training
• Employers Prefer: A certificate or 2-year degree and internship in a physician's office or healthcare facility
• Skills/Courses: College courses include anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, as well as transcription, recordkeeping, accounting, and insurance processing. Students may also learn lab techniques, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmaceutical principles, medication administration, and first aid.
• Certification/Licensing: Some states require medical assistants to be licensed.