Medical assistants have been working in doctor’s offices for many decades, but as training programs improved, so did their employment options. Highly skilled, medical assistants are valuable assets in any healthcare environment. Where can medical assistants work? Almost anywhere that medicine is practiced.
Where Can a Medical Assistant Work?
A medical assistant’s skillset is a good fit for most healthcare facilities and health-related businesses. Most still work in doctor’s offices, but it’s down to less than 60 percent from more than 85 percent just a decade ago.
Job responsibilities vary somewhat by setting, but that’s part of the charm of the field. Being able to work in different places means you’ll never feel stuck or suffocated. There are opportunities for advancement and lateral moves.
Medical assistants are employed by:
Doctor’s Offices
Medical assistants are trained to perform both clinical and clerical tasks, so their skills are ideal for private practices that need both. That doesn’t mean you can’t specialize, but in an office setting, you’ll likely have a blend of responsibilities, such as:
- Scheduling
- Greeting patients
- Cleaning exam rooms
- Taking vital signs
- Performing diagnostic tests
- Administering medication
- Assisting with surgical procedures
- Drawing blood
- Sterilizing instrument
- Managing referrals
- Billing and coding
- Recordkeeping
The pace is brisk yet relaxed. You’ll be part of a small but supportive team of doctors, nurses, administrators, and other professionals united toward a common goal.
Working in a doctor’s office is a good choice for medical assistants seeking work-life balance. Most practices have regular, Monday-through-Friday schedule. You’ll have evenings, weekends, and major holidays off to spend with family. Unlike nurses, medical assistants rarely work emergency overtime.
Chiropractic Centers
Chiropractic centers have needs similar to doctor’s offices. However, jobs are somewhat more administrative than clinical since chiropractors don’t perform surgeries or as many diagnostic tests.
It’s a fast-paced but laid-back atmosphere. Your responsibilities may include:
- Making appointments
- Welcoming patients
- Data entry
- Filing insurance claims
- Sanitizing exam rooms
- Cleaning equipment
- Assisting the chiropractor
- Stocking shelves
- Managing payments
- Ordering supplies
Working for a chiropractor is a fulfilling choice for medical assistants interested in holistic or alternative medicine.
Hospitals
Hospitals hire medical assistants to work in ambulatory care units, medical records, and billing. Because the acuity of the patients is higher, positions for medical assistants are usually in outpatient departments. In a day surgery unit, for example, you may:
- Schedule appointments
- Manage the flow of patients through the waiting area
- Verify demographic and insurance information
- Assist patients with limited mobility
- Provide patient hospitality services
- Stock supplies
- General office duties, like filing
You’ll work with doctors, nurses, medical transportation providers and hospital services to create a safe, efficient, and comfortable environment for patients.
If you prefer administrative duties and have good organizational skills, you might enjoy a job in medical records where you will work with colleagues to:
- Organize electronic health records
- Catalog paper charts
- Archive old data
- Respond to patient and provider requests for information
Hospitals also hire medical assistants as billing representatives. Some engage directly with patients, answering inquiries and collecting payment while others have an internal role filling out insurance forms, submitting claims, and working with insurers.
The best part about working in a hospital is the opportunity for lateral career moves. If you get bored with one position, openings in other departments are bound to come up.
Urgent Care Clinics
Urgent care clinics are a fun work environment for medical assistants who want expanded clinical duties. Under direct supervision, you can do more than in a hospital.
You may assist with clerical tasks, but you’ll spend most of your time with patients and providers. Responsibilities include:
- Checking patients in
- Taking vital signs
- Helping with x-rays
- Assisting with treatments
- Working in the lab
- Minor wound care
Unlike in doctor’s offices and hospitals, however, your schedule may be irregular. Some urgent care clinics are open long hours and even 24/7. However, if you need a night or weekend opportunity, it’s a good place to start.
Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities
Medical assistants can work in nursing homes, but their role is limited by regulations. Still, there are many opportunities in administrative departments.
Working in the front office, you might:
- Screen referrals
- Give prospective patients a tour
- Manage medical records
- Order supplies
- Arrange transportation for residents
- Help with filing
In a back-office job, duties include:
- Billing and coding
- Submitting insurance claims
- Tracking payments
- Managing patient accounts
Jobs are more clerical than clinical, but you’ll work closely with the nursing staff to provide a seamless residential experience for patients. It’s a rewarding position.
Assisted living communities are places where mostly independent seniors can live and get help as needed. In most states, they’re not considered medical facilities, so medical assistants may have expanded roles.
Home Health Agencies
Clinical roles are limited for medical assistants in the home care industry. Without a license, they can’t provide hands-on care. Still, nurses need considerable behind-the-scenes support, and they rely on medical assistants.
As in a nursing facility, the responsibilities at a home health agency are largely administrative. However, clinical training comes in handy for billing, coding, and ordering medical supplies. In any healthcare setting, medicine is a team effort.
Public Health Departments
Public health departments promote wellness at the community level. They hire medical assistants in both clinical and clerical roles.
A great job for a medical assistant with an aptitude for math and science, you’ll help doctors, nurses and scientists make our towns and cities safer through:
- Community outreach
- Disease tracking
- Immunization programs
- Mobile health clinics
- Public education
The pandemic underscored the need for more vigorous public health measures, so opportunities for medical assistants are increasing nationwide. It’s an exciting role.
Medical Billing Services
Third-party billing services are becoming increasingly popular as private practices look for ways to separate medicine and finance. Independent, they handle insurance claims and invoicing for hundreds of accounts.
As a medical assistant in this environment, you’ll work with accountants, auditors, insurers, and peers to manage billing services. Your duties may include:
- Filling out insurance forms
- Submitting claims
- Tracking payments
- Creating invoices
- Troubleshooting rejected claims
- Answer patient questions
If you’re a medical assistant with a business background or accounting experience, working for a billing service is a fun way to use your skills. You’ll spend more time with computers than patients, but you’ll still be contributing to quality care.
How Do You Become a Medical Assistant?
There’s no better way to become a medical assistant than to enroll in a vocational school program. Full-time students graduate work-ready with a diploma in as little as ten months.
The comprehensive curriculum prepares you for certification — a stepping stone to professional growth. Lifestyle-friendly, vocational school training is the best value in education today.
Final Thoughts
Healthcare is expanding, so it’s all hands-on deck. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for medical assistants will rise nearly 16 percent in the next ten years. Where you work as a medical assistant matters less than that you do. However, it’s a rewarding field if you want choices.
Want to Learn More?
The Medical Assistant Training Program at CyberTex Institute of Technology takes great care of you by providing hands-on training, practical experience and the support it takes to get started in a medical assisting career without spending years in school. You will learn the basics of both clinical and administrative skills, and prepare to work in physician’s offices, hospitals, and other medical facilities.
Contact us today to learn more about our Austin and Killeen campuses.