Become a Medical Assistant

As a medical assistant, you’ll use your unique personality traits to shape the patient experience and keep your healthcare facility running smoothly.

Have you ever stopped to think of the power and influence medical assistants have in the workplace? Patients choose their primary physicians based on the quality of care they receive, which means a well-trained medical assistant—often the first and last point of contact in any physician’s office—plays a huge role in where patients go for treatment. It also means medical assistants have a profound impact on the success of their practice.

It’s a double-whammy. MAs leave lasting impressions (and sometimes make long, hard days a little better for people) while simultaneously helping their business grow. And they do this by performing a wide variety of tasks with skill, professionalism, and empathy:

• Obtaining patient vital signs
• Taking measurements
• Administering oral and parenteral medications
• Performing wound care
• Assisting during procedures
• Labeling and processing specimens
• Preparing for, performing, and monitoring EKG
• Managing medical records
• Processing health insurance

It’s a rewarding career path with fair pay, tremendous opportunity, and incredible flexibility. For folks looking to break into the Allied Health industry, this is the perfect steppingstone.

Does that sound like you?

Let’s talk about how to become a medical assistant…

One of the perks here is that most states don’t have any formal requirements, but a good portion of medical assistants have high school diplomas and sharpen their skills on the job. Others sign up for a medical assistant certification program that covers all the ins and outs of what it takes to be successful in the role.

Speaking of certification—while this isn’t a job requirement, per se, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that most employers prefer to hire certified medical assistants.

Certification reflects the quality of your training, gives you a competitive advantage, and maximizes your earning potential.

How long does it take to become a medical assistant…

Good news: Considering the lack of definitive prerequisites throughout the country, you won’t have to spend 4–6 years of your life in a classroom before you start working. That’s because these online programs usually don’t require you to waste your time learning skills that aren’t relevant to the job.

The best part? You’ll learn everything you need to know for a fraction of the cost.

Now let’s break down some career statistics…

The healthcare industry is growing rapidly. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry as a whole is projected to grow by 14% through 2028, adding 1.9 million jobs in the next decade. And when you break out medical assistants over the same time period, they are projected to grow by 23%, adding 154,000 jobs!

What’s more, U.S. News and World Report listed a career as a medical assistant as the #6 best healthcare support job in the country. To determine their rankings, they look at salary, job market, future growth, stress, and work-life balance.

Think you want to become a medical assistant? We don’t blame you—there’s a lot of potential here. There’s also a lot of info packed in this blog post, so if it helps, check out our latest infographic. We put it together to help you decide if becoming a medical assistant is the right career for you.