According to the Employee Benefits News website, there are “9,300 walk-in, stand-alone urgent care centers” in the U.S., with a typical visit costing a fifth of what an ER visit can cost. It’s no wonder that urgent care centers are growing. There’s not quite one on every corner yet, but sometimes, it sure feels that way!
And that’s great news for medical assistants and those who want to become medical assistants. Urgent care centers are ideal work settings for medical assistants. The skills that medical assistants learn, starting with patient intake and assessment, are well-suited to the needs of urgent care center. And the versatility of a medical assistant allows an urgent care center to operate efficiently by only involving a doctor for specific MD-level diagnosis and treatment.
In an earlier article of mine, I noted that we’re at the start of what should be an incredible decade of growth for medical assistant jobs. A big reason for this growth in opportunities for medical assistants is the ongoing growth, and potential explosive growth, of these urgent care centers.
Because Cybertex’s program takes only 45 weeks, you could conceivably see an urgent care center announced in your neighborhood as you’re starting the program, watch it being built as you’re completing the program, and then working at the newly-completed facility by the time you receive your certifications!
Of course, as a medical assistant, you can pursue many medical career avenues, but urgent care centers provide one of the most interesting and promising options. If you’re interested in getting started in a career as a medical assistant, contact our admissions department, and they’ll let you know when the next program begins and how to get started. It can be the first step on a whole new career path.