What Factors Influence Jobs in Medical Assisting

Jobs Available for Medical Assistants

For medical assistants, the factors that influence job availability can vary according to the area. The good news is that medical assistants throughout the United States and other countries are seeing a healthy upsurge in jobs year after year. The United States is seeing an especially high rise of jobs for medical assistants. Medical assistant jobs are predicted to increase as one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations well into the year 2018. This is good news for those who are looking for jobs in this fast growing field of work.

What factors can influence medical assistant jobs?

In 2010, there were around 500,000 medical assistants currently employed in the United States alone. Most work in physician’s offices, with others working in hospitals, clinics, and other medical offices. These jobs can become available depending on how many medical assistants are available in any given area. Another factor that influences medical assistant job availability is the number of trained medical assistants in any given area.

While medical assistants are not required to receive AMA certification, this can be a deciding factor when a medical assistant is looking for work. Obviously, a trained and certified medical assistant is going to be preferable to one who does not have any training. Even those who have years of experience as medical assistants may find it hard to find work without AMA certification.

This may influence job availability for those who do not have the certification. Most states in the US do not require AMA certification though to obtain work as a medical assistant.

Why would someone not find medical assistant work in certain areas?

Although it may seem obvious, in order to have medical assistant jobs available there must be doctors offices, hospitals, and other medical offices to employ them. Some rural areas, low population areas, or areas where medical professionals are liable to get sued more often will not have medical assistant jobs. Good areas to look are large population areas and areas that have laws that are friendly to medical professionals. Some areas actively repel medical professionals with their sue happy laws that make it difficult for them to practice medicine in that area. Other reasons for job availability

Medical assistants may also have trouble finding work if they do not have specific training or work experience in a particular area. “Medical assistant” is a catchall term that is used to describe several different kinds of jobs. There are administrative medical assistants who take care of the clerical side of the medical office and do not participate in medical procedures.

Also included under this area are clerical medical assistants who may answer phones, make appointments, greet patients, and send out letters from the medical office where they work. There are clinical medical assistants who focus mainly on the medical aspects of the job. Clinical medical assistants might draw blood, remove stitches, or take EKG’s.

Clinical Medical Assistants Specialize

Some specialized medical assistants might work for an eye care office, or work exclusively to assist surgeons in an outpatient or hospital setting. Medical lab assistants also are another area of specialty. Medical lab assistants work primarily in a lab, and may have trouble getting work outside of medical lab work if they choose to leave or if their medical lab closes. If a medical assistant has only been trained or only has experience in a particular field of work, they may have trouble crossing over to another area of the medical office or hospital.

The trouble may come from their own insecurities, or it may come from the medical offices not wanting to hire outside of their field of experience. For instance, a medical assistant that has only worked to answer phones or make appointments might have trouble finding jobs that include assisting surgeons or doing other medical procedures.

This is where AMA certification may come in handy as well. AMA certification gives medical assistants a leg up over those who may not have received training or have relevant work experience if they choose to cross over into another area of medical assisting. The certification gives them access to many entry level jobs that may not otherwise be available for them. AMA certification is also helpful for those medical assistants who want to advance to other health related occupations.

These other related occupations would require additional training, but would also give medical assistants a leg up with health care related experience. Overall, regional areas might differ for availability of medical assistant jobs, but these jobs are among the fastest growing in the United States.

Medical assistant jobs are predicted to continue rising and to keep providing opportunities year after year. While a particular area of expertise may be limiting, this might be a problem solved with AMA certification or additional training.

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