How Long Does It Take, What Degree Do You Need, and More
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Medical Assistants
Medical Assistants perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
What degree do you need
Post-Secondary Certificate
One of the most common questions that we always get is what major or degree do I need to become Medical Assistants or what courses do I need to take.
We also asked Medical Assistants what did they major in college or university and here are the top 5 most popular majors that came up.
| Medical Office Assistant |
| Medical Reception |
| Medical Insurance Coding Specialist |
| Medical Administrative, Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary |
| Medical or Clinical Assistant |
Medical assistants typically graduate from postsecondary education programs, and employers may prefer to hire assistants who have completed these programs. Programs for medical assisting are available from community colleges, vocational schools, technical schools, and universities and take about 1 year to complete. These programs usually lead to a certificate or diploma.
How hard is it
You may need some previous work-related skill, knowledge or experience to be a Medical Assistant. For example, an electrician must complete three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Careers in this difficulty category will usually need 1 or 2 years of on-the-job training and informal training with experienced workers. These careers usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Similar careers include hydroelectric production managers, travel agents, electricians, court reporters, and medical assistants.
License and certifications
Medical assistants are not required to be certified. However, employers prefer to hire certified assistants. Several organizations offer certification. Some require the assistant to pass an exam, and others require graduation from an accredited program. In most cases, an applicant must be at least 18 years old before applying for certification.
Skills required
We asked other Medical Assistants if they could only have 5 skills, what would they be. Here is what they said.
| 1. | Speaking what does this mean |
| 2. | Reading Comprehension what does this mean |
| 3. | Active Listening what does this mean |
| 4. | Social Perceptiveness what does this mean |
| 5. | Monitoring what does this mean |
= Hot in-demand that most employers are looking for
Knowledge required
Just like any other job, you will need certain know-hows to excel at your job. Medical Assistants are generally very knowledgeable in these 5 key areas.
| 1. | Customer and Personal Service what does this mean |
| 2. | Medicine and Dentistry what does this mean |
| 3. | English Language what does this mean |
| 4. | Clerical what does this mean |
| 5. | Computers and Electronics what does this mean |
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Learn more about Medical Assistants
| Summary | |
| Job Description | |
| Salary | |
| Requirements (You are here) | |
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Related to Medical Assistants Requirements
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