What Jobs are Available for Diploma Program Graduates?

Medical assisting students learn skills that are applicable in both business and healthcare. Program graduates can work in many different workplaces, and as employers increasingly recognize what medical assistants can offer, roles are expanding. Today’s medical assistant graduates will find jobs as:

Job #1: Medical Assistants

Most medical assisting graduates choose to work in private practices. Depending on their job description, they work under the supervision of a doctor, nurse or practice administrator. Their job is to provide support for clinical and clerical staff, working directly with patients, vendors and other healthcare professionals. Their responsibilities include:

• Managing the schedule
• Triaging patient phone calls
• Rooming clients
• Taking vital signs
• Updating medication and allergy lists
• Assisting with physical exams
• Phlebotomy
• Administering immunizations
• Performing diagnostic tests
• Assisting with insurance claims
• Billing and coding
• Ordering clinical and office supplies
• Sterilizing instruments
• Maintaining equipment
• Educating patients

Medical assistants can also choose the type of practice they work for, from cardiology to maternal health. It’s a practical way for students with a passion for wellness to hone their skills in a particular area of interest or expertise.

Job #2: Medical Office Assistants

With a medical assistant diploma or medical office assistant specific diploma program, graduates can become medical office assistants in many medical facilities. Medical office assistants manage front office tasks, such as:

• Making appointments
• Answering patients’ non-clinical inquiries
• Welcoming clients
• Overseeing the reception area
• Updating demographic information
• Completing insurance claims
• Billing and coding
• Ordering office supplies
• Assisting with marketing and client outreach efforts
• Helping with financial reports
• Taking payments
• Managing medical records

Working under the supervision of an office manager or practice administrator, they interact with patients but have no clinical role. Still, everything they do impacts clinical staff, so they work closely with doctors and nurses to ensure a positive patient experience.

Job #3: Medical Billing and Coding Specialists

Medical assistants with an aptitude for administration may choose to work as billing and coding specialists in a hospital or doctor’s office under a manager’s supervision. A medical billing and coding specialist’s role is to manage insurance claims, so healthcare facilities are paid on time. They’ll rarely work with patients directly, instead, spending most of their communicating with insurers and clinical staff who can answer service-related questions. A typical day might include:

• Coding insurance forms
• Submitting and troubleshooting claims
• Obtaining insurance preauthorization for services
• Assisting with credit service and payment plans
• Posting payments
• Light accounting
• Financial reporting

Job #4: Hospital Medical Assistants

A medical assistant employed in a hospital will most likely be a unit clerk or work in a single department, such as the emergency room or radiography. The supervisors and colleagues they work with will vary based on the job description, and in most roles, the medical assistant will have direct contact with patients and their families. Clerical job responsibilities may include:

• Checking in patients
• Verifying demographic and insurance information
• Reviewing consent to treat forms
• Collecting co-payments

Medical assistants’ clinical responsibilities may be limited on inpatient floors because of acuity, but in outpatient departments, duties will be similar to those in a private practice.

Hospitals are ideal settings for medical assistants who want to learn more about healthcare by working in different departments. Working through the ranks builds experience that looks good on a resume and helps qualify for promotions.

Job #5: ÌýLong-term Care Medical Assistants

Medical assistants were once rare in long-term care facilities, most states forbid anyone but nurses and certified nursing assistants from providing hands-on patient care. But clerical support roles are emerging that make the most of a medical assistant’s clinical expertise. Duties in a nursing home or assisted living facility may include:

• Hospitality and client outreach
• Marketing
• Greeting families
• Giving facility tours
• Ordering supplies
• Light bookkeeping
• Billing and coding
• Submitting insurance claims
• Transcribing doctor’s notes
• Managing patients’ outside appointments
• Scheduling transportation
• Assisting with activities
• Filing and archiving records

Under the supervision of a nurse or facility administrator, medical assistants work side-by-side with residents, nurses and paraprofessional staff.

Job #6: ÌýSchool Medical Assistants

Schools are increasingly serving as gateways through which to deliver more timely healthcare to students. In addition to school nurses, larger education systems may employ medical assistants for additional support as allowed by individual states. Under the supervision of a bachelor’s-educated registered nurse, they will work with school personnel to enhance student access to healthcare by:

• Managing correspondence
• Filing and data entry
• Updating student health records
• Assisting with education programs
• Administering vaccinations

Children who were once excluded from school because of serious health conditions can now attend the same classes with peers if they have medical support. Working in a school is a personally rewarding role.

Job #7: Doctor’s Assistants

All medical assistants are doctor’s assistants, but instead of managing a broad range of responsibilities, some are dedicated to working only with the physician as a second pair of hands. For example, when podiatrists visit nursing homes to cut residents’ toenails, having someone available to help position patients and pass instruments makes the process more efficient.

Similarly, doctors who perform in-office biopsies may want a dedicated medical assistant to help during procedures and handle sample processing. Male doctors working with women and children may want a second person in the room for their patients’ comfort and to protect themselves from impropriety accusations. Tasks for a doctor’s assistants include:

• Pre-procedure education
• Patient positioning
• Providing emotional support for patients during uncomfortable procedures
• Assisting with in-office surgery
• Post-procedure education
• Suture and staple removal
• Wound care

A medical assistant serving as a doctor’s assistant shouldn’t be confused with a “physician’s assistant.”Physicians assistants, or PAs, require at least a master’s degree plus a year of relevant clinical experience to practice.

Job #8: ÌýLaboratory Medical Assistants

Medical assistants with a diploma and a strong aptitude for science may enjoy working in a laboratory. Commercial labs and hospitals hire MAs to handle mostly administrative duties. But in a private practice, a medical assistant can draw blood, process samples and run most in-house diagnostic tests under the supervision of licensed clinical staff. What does an average laboratory medical assistant do?

• Drawing blood
• Preparing samples for testing
• Running tests in select settings
• Coding requisitions
• Packing samples for shipment to outside laboratories
• Filing and data entry
• Patient education
• Fielding client inquires

In most states, medical assistants can work as phlebotomists in doctor’s offices without additional training. Hospitals prefer to hire certified phlebotomists, a position for which a vocational school diploma plus a short training course qualifies the medical assistant.

Job #9: Public Health Medical Assistants

The recent pandemic has underscored the importance of public health planning. Officials at the federal, state and local levels depend on nurses and support staff, including medical assistants, to analyze data and deliver critical medical services during a crisis.

In addition to practical interventions, such as offering immunizations and disease testing, they also monitor changing health trends in the community by tracking the medical codes used for insurance forms and death certificates. Reports are used to identify at-risk populations and make budget decisions that allocate resources where they’re needed most.

Public health departments assist hospitals and provide mobile services to rural communities with few healthcare providers. Depending on the job description, a medical assistant’s duties may include direct contact with the public and clinical, administrative or blended responsibilities, such as:

• Data collection
• Coding analysis
• Records management
• Diagnostic testing
• Sample collection
• Administering vaccinations
• Taking vital signs
• Assisting with marketing and education programs

As attention to public health needs grows, expect more opportunities for medical assistants.

Job #10: Medical Records Technicians

Healthcare facilities process billions of gigabytes of medical data annually. New records are stored electronically, but old paper records remain an essential part of patients’ health history and require proper storage.

Medical assistants have the clinical know-how and the clerical expertise to manage large volumes of records efficiently under a manager’s supervision. A medical records technician’s responsibilities are:

• Filing and data entry
• Compiling health information
• Responding to provider and patient requests for information
• Obtaining legal consent to view records
• Managing databases

It’s a perfect job for graduates with the soft skills necessary to work with the public and who enjoy technology and information science.

Why is Getting a Medical Assistant Diploma Important?

Employers prefer applicants with proven skills. Doctors are also legally responsible for employees’ job performance, so they’re taking a risk hiring unqualified staff.

The country’s top insurer, Medicare, requires medical assistants have at least a diploma to enter doctor’s orders in patients’ health records, so it’s natural for employers to lean toward hiring vocational school graduates.

A diploma is also the key to professional growth. Medical assisting can be a forever career or a springboard to a degree. Just a few months of training replaces years of experience. Diploma programs prepare graduates for optional certification through the or similar agency. Every credential you earn makes you a more valuable job candidate in the future.

Final Thoughts

The modern workplace has changed. Most adults will have more than one career in their lives, training and retraining for new jobs as the landscape evolves. But medical assistants can turn a single diploma into a lifetime of opportunity. It’s the versatile, future-forward career you’ve been looking for.

Ready to start a new job with a medical assistant diploma? Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ & Institute offers to gain essential skills and training. The core curriculum focuses on the medical assisting skills and training you will need to seek entry-level employment in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical settings needing the services of associates trained in both front and back office medical assisting skills. These medical assisting courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

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Contact us to learn more about how you can become a medical assistant today.

Medical assisting is a future-looking field. At a time when jobs are disappearing because of technology, the demand for frontline healthcare workers is skyrocketing. Americans are getting older, and as they do, they require more wellness services. According to the the need for medical assistants is predicted to grow more than 23 percent from 2018 to 2028, and the role is expanding. What does a medical assistant do, where do they work, and what are the benefits of getting a diploma? Now is the perfect time to find out.

What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

Medical assistants are support specialists. From managing the schedule to assisting with treatments, they perform a broad range of clinical and administrative tasks that are an important part of every patient visit. Their responsibilities vary by setting but may include triaging calls, managing schedules, greeting patients, taking vital signs, preparing exam rooms, obtaining specimens, administering phlebotomy, performing diagnostics, assisting with procedures, ensuring infection control, providing patient education and managing referrals.

Triaging Calls

When patients phone their doctor to make an appointment or report troubling symptoms, they expect a knowledgeable, reassuring voice to address their needs. Medical assistants have the clinical and clerical expertise necessary to handle complex calls, responding to inquires or directing them to the most appropriate provider.

Managing the Schedule

Handling the schedule in a doctor’s office is surprisingly challenging. Appointments must meet a patient’s needs when both the right provider and the proper equipment is available, and slots need to be managed to accommodate emergencies. Medical assistants oversee practice resources so providers can be more productive. It’s a win for patients because they get the care they need promptly while the practice maintains a sound bottom line.

Greeting Patients

Medical assistants greet patients when they arrive, escorting them to exam rooms while performing routine clinical tasks. They review current symptoms, medication and allergy lists and demographic data as they help patients prepare physically and mentally for their exams. A friendly but professional approach makes patients feel welcomed and inspires confidence in their care. Medical assistants are ambassadors of first impressions.

Taking Vital Signs

Vital signs are measurements of basic bodily functions. There are four primary vital signs: blood pressure, temperature, respirations and heart rate, or pulse. Secondary vital signs include height, weight and peripheral oxygen saturation.

Taken before each visit, vital signs help doctors diagnose illness, track changes in condition and calculate drug dosages. It’s a technical skill medical assistants are trained for, using the latest equipment. Accuracy is a must.

Preparing Exam Rooms

Medical assistants keep exam rooms clean and well-stocked between appointments. When everything the doctor needs to perform exams is within arms-reach, visits are more efficient, doctors are more productive, and patients feel like their time is valued.

Obtaining Specimens

Medical assistants collect and preserve biological samples for lab tests. Careful sampling techniques are required to avoid contamination, and samples must be packaged as directed for shipment to outside labs, each laboratory has an independent protocol. Errors can result in specimen rejection and subsequent delays in care.

Phlebotomy

In-house blood testing is common in most modern healthcare practices, it saves patients’ time and money, speeds results and creates an additional source of revenue for the physician. As part of a vocational school’s medical assistant diploma program, students are taught phlebotomy, drawing blood from a vein with a needle. It’s a simple yet technical task that requires clinical judgment and good communication skills.

Performing Diagnostics

Diagnostic tests such as electrocardiograms once required a trip to the hospital, but now they can be performed in minutes before an exam. Medical assistants can do many tests independently under the supervision of licensed staff. They also help calibrate and maintain sensitive diagnostic equipment.

Assisting with Procedures

Medical assistants help with in-office surgical procedures. They set-up the proper equipment, hand the doctor instruments, collect tissue samples and provide emotional support for the patient. They also handle routine aftercare, such as applying simple dressings, and later, removing skin sutures or staples.

Ensuring Infection Control

Healthcare settings can harbor dangerous pathogens, so following infection control protocols is paramount. Medical assistants are responsible for sanitizing exam rooms and disinfecting equipment between uses, to keep patients safe. Weekly duties may include sterilizing instruments and linens used for surgical procedures.

Providing Patient Education

Medical assistants serve as liaisons between patients and their healthcare team. They can’t give medical advice, but they take an active role in patient education. They serve as a clinical resource for patients with general health questions, using their clinical savvy to teach topics from nutrition and heart health to immunizations and medication safety.

Managing Referrals

Seeing a specialist is costly, so most insurers require patients to get referrals from their regular doctor before seeing one. The process requires the timely exchange of a patient’s private health data between physicians as well as insurance preapproval, it can be complicated. Medical assistants have the clerical and clinical knowledge needed to do the job.

Where Do Medical Assistants Work?

After completing a medical assistant diploma program, graduates work a broad range of settings, including doctor’s offices, hospitals, urgent care clinics, long-term care facilities, laboratories, and insurance companies.

Doctor’s Offices

Over half of all medical assistants are employed in doctor’s offices. Cross-trained in both clinical and administrative functions, they can choose to work as either specialists or generalists. It’s a face-paced environment, and the work is always challenging. Graduates of medical assistant diploma programs can find employment with a general practitioner or a specialist in an area of interest. Popular specialties include obstetrics, pediatrics and cardiology.

Hospitals

Medical assistants working in hospitals are most likely to work in outpatient or records departments. In an emergency room or ambulatory surgery unit, they save nurses time by reviewing patients’ health information, collecting samples, caring for equipment and restocking supplies. In a records department, medical assistants help organize and store critical data.

Urgent Care Clinics

Urgent care clinics are changing the way healthcare is delivered in the United States. They ease the burden on emergency departments by handling non-life-threatening issues when patients can’t see their primary provider. The lower level of care they offer is an ideal match for a medical assistant’s versatile skills.

Long-Term Care Facilities

Medical assistants can’t provide direct patient care in long-term care centers, but they can fill ancillary positions such as unit clerks and physician liaisons. Responsibility may include updating medical records, ordering supplies and helping with billing.

Laboratories

Medical assistants are qualified for entry-level laboratory positions in doctor’s offices and hospitals, after graduating from a medical assistant diploma program. Responsibilities include processing samples, operating chemistry analyzers and calibrating equipment. With continuing education, medical assistants can become certified phlebotomists.

Insurance Companies

As more administrators realize the value of medical assistants, nontraditional opportunities are slowly growing. The same skills used in hospitals and private practices are transferable to business settings. Health insurers, equipment makers and billing agencies all need specialists with both clinical and clerical know-how. Duties could include fielding patient inquiries and reviewing claims.

Why Become a Medical Assistant?

Of the many careers available to choose from, why become a medical assistant? Because benefits like these are hard to beat. These benefits include a quick start, job security, a sense of purpose, everyday excitement, and feeling valued.

A Quick Start

Most jobs in healthcare require a college degree, but medical assisting is a quick-launch career. Students attending a vocational school diploma program can be trained in less than a year. For students who want to work in healthcare but can’t afford to be out of work for two or more years, becoming a medical assistant is an ideal option.

Job Security

Healthcare is widely available in the US, but as millions of Baby Boomers approach retirement age, the need for routine services is increasing. Getting care at an emergency room is expensive, so public health officials are trying to expand services at the primary care level, and that means more trained support staff will be required in the future.

While the future of jobs in other fields is uncertain, positions for medical assistants are projected to rise consistently in the coming decade. Students graduating with a diploma in medical assisting enjoy job security.

A Sense of Purpose

Jobs pay the bills, but careers bring fulfillment. As valued members of the healthcare team, medical assistants make a lasting difference in the lives of their patient. Few careers are as meaningful.

Everyday Excitement

The pace in a doctor’s office is energetic. Medical assistants stay busy, and there are new challenges to tackle every day, the job never gets boring.

Medical assistants can fulfill their passion for medicine by learning new things, the healthcare field is continually evolving, and staff are among the first to get a look at new developments in the industry. It’s an exciting time to work in medicine.

Feeling Valued

Medical assistants are part of a dedicated team of health specialists with a common goal, no one works alone, and members feel supported. Contributions don’t go unnoticed. And unlike other occupations, healthcare workers are appreciated by the community. It’s a good feeling.

Why Get a Medical Assistant Diploma?

Employers are legally accountable for their staff’s performance, and major insurers, including Medicare, require medical assistants to be formally trained for certain tasks, such as entering doctor’s orders in health records. Employers naturally give preference to applicants with a medical assistant diploma.

Many graduates build on their diploma with certifications from the or similar agencies. Others pursue separate certification as phlebotomists. In healthcare as in most professional fields, education is a springboard for professional growth and advancement. Each credential added to a resume makes a job applicant more attractive to potential employers.

Final Thoughts

The job outlook is bright for medical assistants because wherever healthcare professionals work, support specialists are needed. In less time than it takes to plan for the next round of holidays, students can complete a training program and be ready to earn. All that’s required to apply is enthusiasm for helping others and the desire to learn. Getting a medical assisting diploma is time well spent and an investment in the future.

Did learning what you can do with a medical assistant diploma interest you? Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ & Institute offers to gain essential skills and training. The core curriculum focuses on the medical assisting skills and training you will need to seek entry-level employment in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical settings needing the services of associates trained in both front and back office medical assisting skills. These medical assisting courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.