Medical Assisting Careers

Program Description

Miami-Jacobs Medical Assisting program will prepare you for a career in allied health with intimate classroom environments, the latest technology and a rigorous course schedule.

Graduates are awarded the Associate Degree of Applied Science in Medical Assisting. The medical assisting curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the expanding allied health industry. This program offers practical instruction to establish a foundation for career advancement and professional growth in the field of medical assisting. This program offers an in-depth experience in the clinical medical office as well as providing computer and administrative skills. Employers continue to seek better thinkers, superior problem-solvers and team players with a strong customer orientation. The Miami-Jacobs’ graduate will have a competitive edge because of the specialized method in which he or she has been trained. Miami-Jacobs’ graduates will have developed strong leadership skills and understand how to influence others positively.

Occupational Objectives

Graduates of this program will be prepared for careers as Medical Assistants

Occupational Skills

Graduates of this program have the skills to:

• Accurately perform both administrative and clinical skills in the medical office.
• Be an effective liaison between the patient and the physician.
• Maintain office policies and procedures.
• Understand and demonstrate knowledge of the legal and ethical aspects of confidentiality.
• Perform administrative and clinical tasks in the medical office.
• Take medical histories, record vital signs, explain treatment procedures to patient and assist the physician during the exam.
• Perform basic lab tests including electrocardiograms.
• Perform venipuncture.

The following from Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition

Job Outlook

Employment is projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008–18 decade. Job opportunities should be excellent, particularly for those with formal training or experience, and certification.

Employment change. Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 34 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. As the healthcare industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, there will be an increased need for all healthcare workers. The increasing prevalence of certain conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, also will increase demand for healthcare services and medical assistants. Increasing use of medical assistants to allow doctors to care for more patients will further stimulate job growth.

Helping to drive job growth is the increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other healthcare facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly medical assistants who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. In addition, medical assistants work mostly in primary care, a consistently growing sector of the healthcare industry.

Job prospects. Jobseekers who want to work as a medical assistant should find excellent job prospects. Medical assistants are projected to account for a very large number of new jobs, and many other opportunities will come from the need to replace workers leaving the occupation. Medical assistants with formal training or experience—particularly those with certification—should have the best job opportunities, since employers generally prefer to hire these workers.

Earnings

The earnings of medical assistants vary, depending on their experience, skill level, and location. Median annual wages of wage-and-salary medical assistants were $28,300 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $23,700 and $33,050. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,600, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $39,570. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical assistants in May 2008 were:

General medical and surgical hospitals $29,720 Colleges, universities, and professional schools 28,820 Offices of physicians 28,710 Outpatient care centers 28,570 Offices of other health practitioners 25,240