2 answers
sandra
Student
Redwood City, California
3
Questions
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What does a typical day look like on this job ?(medical assistant)
Hi my name is sandra.
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2 answers
V. Sean Mitchell
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
3
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
V. Sean’s Answer
Hello Sandra,
Medical assistants are a very important role in healthcare. The work in just about every healthcare setting… hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, outpatient clinics, public health departments.
With care being provided in so many new and different environments, there are a lot of options!
Medical assistants do clinical tasks for checking in patients from children with their parent, to mature adults, for healthcare appointments. including taking their vital signs – blood pressure, pulse, temperature and entering the information in the patients electronic health record. Administrative tasks they could be asked to do, to make sure the items needed for clinicians to provide care for patients are available and stocked in rooms - such as bandages, ect. In long term care settings, Medical Assistants work with the Nursing staff to provide daily care to the residents, assisting with dressing, meals and helping the residents to activities, talking the them and helping them with daily tasks. These are only two of many areas Medical Assistants work.
The US Bureau of Labor Occupational website reports the 2021 average annual wage for a Certified Medical Assistant was $37,190. Please note this is for a medical assistant who has passed the Certification exam.
Educational training to become a Certified Medical Assistant, requires graduating from High School or earning your GED, before enrolling for the Medical Assistant educational training. There are numerous educational programs for Medical Assistants. The educational training programs must be certified for students who graduate from their programs to be able to take the Certification exam to become a Certified Medical Assistant.
Community Colleges provide the most affordable, certified educational training. The community colleges also provide additional supports for your success, including counselors to assist with financial aid, tutoring and labs to assist your to hone your reading and writing, many have child care facilities and other helps.
Private schools also offer medical assistant education, and can be more expensive, with less additional supports.
Employment opportunities for medical assistants is projected to grow in the next 10 years, by 123,000 per year.
Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 16 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Please check out the website, (will need to copy and paste the link below) to the US Department of Labor website for Occupations for the Medical Assistant . www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm#tab-1
On the web your will find tabs across the page, which provide a summary of the Certified Medical Assistant occupation, what the role of the Certified Medical Assistant does, their work environment, education for how to become one, Pay, State and area data for a medical assistant occupation, a list of similar occupations to explore other occupational options and Much more!
The information is current, reliable and does not cost you to use. (our tax dollars paid for it).
Due to the need for these occupations in healthcare, many states are providing FREE tuition for training at a community college, with a monthly stipend while attending the training, for food, housing, transportation, books and essentials for students studying these occupations at the Community Colleges. Because these financial support programs have come about in 2022, they may not be listed on the Dept of Labor website, but do check out your local community college for details.
Many of the places Medical and Nursing Assistants now work, were not even available 10 years ago. The education and training you do today, will be the foundation for your progression and success in the new opportunities of the future.
You can never make a better investment than in your education!
Medical assistants are a very important role in healthcare. The work in just about every healthcare setting… hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, outpatient clinics, public health departments.
With care being provided in so many new and different environments, there are a lot of options!
Medical assistants do clinical tasks for checking in patients from children with their parent, to mature adults, for healthcare appointments. including taking their vital signs – blood pressure, pulse, temperature and entering the information in the patients electronic health record. Administrative tasks they could be asked to do, to make sure the items needed for clinicians to provide care for patients are available and stocked in rooms - such as bandages, ect. In long term care settings, Medical Assistants work with the Nursing staff to provide daily care to the residents, assisting with dressing, meals and helping the residents to activities, talking the them and helping them with daily tasks. These are only two of many areas Medical Assistants work.
The US Bureau of Labor Occupational website reports the 2021 average annual wage for a Certified Medical Assistant was $37,190. Please note this is for a medical assistant who has passed the Certification exam.
Educational training to become a Certified Medical Assistant, requires graduating from High School or earning your GED, before enrolling for the Medical Assistant educational training. There are numerous educational programs for Medical Assistants. The educational training programs must be certified for students who graduate from their programs to be able to take the Certification exam to become a Certified Medical Assistant.
Community Colleges provide the most affordable, certified educational training. The community colleges also provide additional supports for your success, including counselors to assist with financial aid, tutoring and labs to assist your to hone your reading and writing, many have child care facilities and other helps.
Private schools also offer medical assistant education, and can be more expensive, with less additional supports.
Employment opportunities for medical assistants is projected to grow in the next 10 years, by 123,000 per year.
Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 16 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Please check out the website, (will need to copy and paste the link below) to the US Department of Labor website for Occupations for the Medical Assistant . www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm#tab-1
On the web your will find tabs across the page, which provide a summary of the Certified Medical Assistant occupation, what the role of the Certified Medical Assistant does, their work environment, education for how to become one, Pay, State and area data for a medical assistant occupation, a list of similar occupations to explore other occupational options and Much more!
The information is current, reliable and does not cost you to use. (our tax dollars paid for it).
Due to the need for these occupations in healthcare, many states are providing FREE tuition for training at a community college, with a monthly stipend while attending the training, for food, housing, transportation, books and essentials for students studying these occupations at the Community Colleges. Because these financial support programs have come about in 2022, they may not be listed on the Dept of Labor website, but do check out your local community college for details.
Many of the places Medical and Nursing Assistants now work, were not even available 10 years ago. The education and training you do today, will be the foundation for your progression and success in the new opportunities of the future.
You can never make a better investment than in your education!
Eric Snow
MS. Mental Health/ Voc Rehab Counseling/ BS.RN. Nnursing
21
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Greetings Sandra;
The Truth, Hard Work but rewarding.
It's depends upon where you work and what you do.
It's like taking care of yourself but doing it to another person, bathing feeding recording vital signs intake and out put correctly
of what your patient eats and excretes. It's communicating with and understanding needs of a group of people all at once but knowing people have to wait.
One has to organize time efficiently and effectively. Know that some of your team members don't want to do the right thing ; but you show up for work on time because you are highly valuable on a team. Always ask for help when lifting so you can continue to care for yourself.
The best way to find out if it's right fore you because it is such a high demand for good CNA's. But I used my experience to gain helpful knowledge as I progressed in my nursing career. each step as a building block for the next entry level; but not necessarily.
A lot of people skip the hard part and go straight into nursing not knowing what the CNA's actually do and sometimes this is a bad thing because some promote themselves as a higher up than a CNA. True this is wrong about the health care system; but you will have more empathy for your patients and understand their fear because you get to talk to them and that is the most valuable link to patient care.
Patient care is about attitude toward your fellow man instead of a job. It requires empathy and care of being understanding instead of blaming when you see emesis fecal matter and blood and without regard to sight and smell while being professional. Because a patient couldn't reach the call bell or unexpectedly has an accident in bed (car crash or a real train wreck lol ). Sometimes you become so busy you forget your lunch breaks and when you are tired there is a dedication to get up and answer that light that keeps going off just before you get off work.
Sometimes it becomes thankless from peers and others, you just have to understand that is your job.
I would challenge yourself to have a job shadow to make sure you want to pursue that valuable occupation.
Not monetarily because you don't go into the nursing field for money or glory. It's really to fulfill the commandment of healing the sick and taking care of others who are less fortunate with needs.
The Truth, Hard Work but rewarding.
It's depends upon where you work and what you do.
It's like taking care of yourself but doing it to another person, bathing feeding recording vital signs intake and out put correctly
of what your patient eats and excretes. It's communicating with and understanding needs of a group of people all at once but knowing people have to wait.
One has to organize time efficiently and effectively. Know that some of your team members don't want to do the right thing ; but you show up for work on time because you are highly valuable on a team. Always ask for help when lifting so you can continue to care for yourself.
The best way to find out if it's right fore you because it is such a high demand for good CNA's. But I used my experience to gain helpful knowledge as I progressed in my nursing career. each step as a building block for the next entry level; but not necessarily.
A lot of people skip the hard part and go straight into nursing not knowing what the CNA's actually do and sometimes this is a bad thing because some promote themselves as a higher up than a CNA. True this is wrong about the health care system; but you will have more empathy for your patients and understand their fear because you get to talk to them and that is the most valuable link to patient care.
Patient care is about attitude toward your fellow man instead of a job. It requires empathy and care of being understanding instead of blaming when you see emesis fecal matter and blood and without regard to sight and smell while being professional. Because a patient couldn't reach the call bell or unexpectedly has an accident in bed (car crash or a real train wreck lol ). Sometimes you become so busy you forget your lunch breaks and when you are tired there is a dedication to get up and answer that light that keeps going off just before you get off work.
Sometimes it becomes thankless from peers and others, you just have to understand that is your job.
I would challenge yourself to have a job shadow to make sure you want to pursue that valuable occupation.
Not monetarily because you don't go into the nursing field for money or glory. It's really to fulfill the commandment of healing the sick and taking care of others who are less fortunate with needs.