Why You Should Consider Becoming A Medical Assistant, And How To Get Started

There's several ways to become a medical assistant. For those interested in the healthcare field, it represents a good occupation all its own. It also represents a step towards larger healthcare career goals. Here's a few benefits of becoming a medical assistant, and how you can start the process.

Why Become a Medical Assistant?

There's quite a few benefits to becoming a medical assistant.

Start working in your field sooner – You can start working as a medical assistant in as little as a year occasionally. That's because you can enter the field with a certificate, a credit, or an associate's degree.

Sometimes, you can start with a high school diploma. Of course, the better your credentials, the more likely you will find work. Also, you can demand a higher salary with proof of postsecondary education.

You can work just about anywhere – There's various types of certification programs for medical assistants. Some of those certifications have national recognition, so you can work anywhere in the country.

You can also work as a medical assistant in just about any setting. MAs can work in various medical facilities, such as clinics, the office of a private practice, or in a specific healthcare department.

The need for medical assistants is increasing – The Occupational Outlook Handbook predicts a 23% growth in the need for medical assistants over the next seven years. So even if you move beyond your medical assistant position, you will have it to fall back on if you need it in the future.

The MA position can represent a stepping-stone – A medical assistant position can give you a paying job and valuable experience while you pursue other healthcare related interests. You will learn skills on the job that directly translate to other healthcare related fields.

In fact, if you're on a four-year or better educational path, you can start as a medical assistant early on while you're still in school. In some graduate or postgraduate programs, you can gain credit for your work as well.

How Do You Become a Medical Assistant?

As stated, there's many paths to this job. From the outset, it's certainly possible to apply with no experience. Requirements for medical assistants vary from place to place, and facility to facility. Your best chance to gaining an MA job requires you to either join a certification program or gear your undergraduate studies towards gaining certification while you're still pursuing your degree.

Even if you live somewhere, or apply somewhere, that doesn't require certification, it still helps to have relevant certification. Usually, you will need your high school diploma or equivalent before you can pursue certification. If you didn't graduate high school, you can look for certification programs that offers GED classes in addition to medical assistant courses.

For more information, contact a place like Allied Health Careers Institute.