Medical Assistant Job Opportunities

Medical assisting is one of the fastest growing health care jobs. As the American and global population of western countries continues to age, this high growth of many health care jobs is expected to continue through at least the next decade. According to the United States Department of Labor, “Employment is projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2006-16 decade. Job opportunities should be excellent, particularly for those with formal training.” Most medical assistants and health care office workers receive their training informally at medical offices or often though a more traditional program offered at a local vocation school, community college or though online distance education classes.

Medical assistants usually work in an office setting. Work hours are usually daylight, Monday through Friday, 40-hour work weeks and often some weekend hours are required. Overtime is often available and sometimes mandatory. Positions at insurance hospital or health care clinics are more likely to have a few overnight or late hour shifts available.

Many of the fastest growing health care jobs such as medical assistant careers are concentrated in the health services field and 19% of all health care job growth from 2004 - 2014 will be in health services. Factors contributing to continued growth in this industry include the aging population, which will continue to require more services, and the increased use of innovative medical technology for intensive diagnosis and treatment. The effect of the increasing proportion of the elderly is already being felt.

Medical assistant many now take advantage of newer technology and study the basics online, often at a very affordable fee and at convenient time schedules. Distance education medical assistant courses such as the medical assistant program at www.medassistant.org which is provided by St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants provide a new innovative approach to the training of medical assistants and health care office employees. Virtual education is now part of the planning agenda of most organizations concerned with education and training. The quality of distance learning has greatly improved in the past few years, as both students and educators have become more comfortable with the technology, and as stories of best practices have been shared and duplicated. Recent research has shown that the most significant factor helping students to succeed in web-based classes has been their ability to manage time.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of different types of medical jobs. Healthcare is the largest industry, showing the highest amount of growth of any other field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employing 14 million people in 2006, the healthcare industry is projected to add about three million more jobs by 2016, according to the BLS. Medical assistant http://www.medassistant.org jobs and other allied health professional will continue to make up a large portion of employment opportunities in the health care job market, making medical assisting a rapidly growing career with much opportunity over the foreseeable future. As a whole, medical support roles and administrative roles make up a whopping 18% of all jobs in the healthcare industry, which is why these jobs are amongst the top medical jobs.

Medical assistants may advance to other occupations through experience or additional training. For example, some may go on to teach medical assisting, and others pursue additional education to become nurses or other health care workers. Administrative medical assistants may advance to office manager, or qualify for a variety of administrative support occupations. Helping to drive this job growth is the increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that require a high proportion of support personnel, particularly medical assistants who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. In addition, medical assistants work primarily in outpatient settings, a rapidly growing sector of the health care industry.