5 Reasons Why Becoming a Medical Assistant Is a Popular Career Choice (And Could Be for You Too)

Becoming a medical assistant is a fast-track way to starting a healthcare career. With students completing these cost-effective certification programs in as little as 9 to 12 months – a job working as a medical assistant becomes a quick reality.

California has the highest employment level for medical assistants in the United States, with employer demand growing all the time, including within the San Francisco Bay Area.

Do you think you’d make a great healthcare worker? Are you thinking about medical assistant training as your way into working in the healthcare industry?

Career Advantages to Becoming a Medical Assistant

Here are 5 reasons why becoming a medical assistant is a popular healthcare career choice for people.

Reason #1: Type of Work

The variety of a medical assistant’s work is a major selling-point for people choosing this career.

“There’s so much you can do when you’re a medical assistant,” says Jessie Aguirre, BAMA Phlebotomy Instructor. “You may be asked to check in and prepare patients for the doctor, take patient medical histories, take vitals, perform injections, perform EKG setups, remove sutures and change dressings, answer phones, schedule appointments, code procedures and fill out insurance forms, explain treatment procedures to patients, and assist
the doctor in various procedures.”

With such a wide and varied job description, it’s no wonder medical assistant came in at #18 in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of top healthcare support jobs.

Reason #2: Your Coworkers

BAMA medical assistant students have many reasons for choosing their particular career path, but perhaps the overriding reason is they’re passionate about helping people.

“I’ve always been the type to care for the well being of others,” says one BAMA graduate. “I wanted a career that would benefit society and make a positive impact on the world, one patient at a time.”

BAMA students also know that working as a medical assistant puts them among other healthcare workers who share the one, very important goal of making a real difference in people’s lives.

Who says you can’t choose your coworkers?

Reason #3: Location, Location, Location

Perhaps you might you want to move across country in the near future, and take your career with you.

A medical assistant career brings with it the freedom to move geographically and work anywhere you want, provided you have the necessary working requirments.

Throughout the United States there is an increasing number of new and vacant healthcare jobs that need to be filled by skilled workers. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports healthcare employment continues to grow with over 20,000 healthcare jobs filled for April, 2017.

Relocating or not, a medical assistant also has the choice of working in a number of different healthcare facilities. How about working in a primary or specialty care physician’s office? Or a hospital? Then again, maybe an outpatient clinic, nursing care facility, or medical research center might be more to your liking. There’s variety enough to suit any working personality.

Reason #4: Salary

Medical assistant salaries depend on a number of factors, such as qualifications, experience, hours worked, the area you live in, and the type of medical facility.

What are medical assistant salaries in the San Francisco Bay Area?

This chart gives you an idea.

Reason #5: Career Growth

A medical assistant can look forward to career growth possibilities.

For instance, similar to other healthcare organizations, Stanford Health Care offers a career ladder that gives their medical assistant employees four different levels to work towards:

• Level I Trainee/Entry Level
• Level II Intermediate/Developing
• Level III Career/Full Proficiency
• Level IV Advanced/Specialist/Lead

Rising from Level I to Level IV, a medical assistant continually gains more experience as they take on more job responsibilities.

A medical assistant may also decide they want to specialize in a particular field of medicine, such as obstetrics and gynecology or pediatrics.

Additionally, a medical assistant can use their work experience as a springboard to a different job altogether, such as becoming a surgical technologist, laboratory technologist, physician’s assistant, or a nurse.

Do any of these 5 reasons make you want to find out more about training for becoming a medical assistant?

If they do, take the time to visit a medical assistant training school near you.

A healthcare career is waiting for you.