Doctors can’t save lives by themselves. More than 710,000 Americans work as medical assistants. 32,000 medical assistants work in the New York City metropolitan area, earning an annual wage of over $40,000.
If you’re looking for a rewarding and lucrative career, you should consider becoming a medical assistant. But you can’t apply for a job just yet. You need to know how to get a medical assistant certification.
What are medical assistant jobs like, and what qualifications do you need to meet? What medical assistant training can you receive? What habits should you adopt when taking classes and studying for your medical assistant certification exams?
Answer these questions, and you can become a medical assistant in little time. Here is your quick guide.
Understand Medical Assistant Jobs
Medical assistants provide support to doctors and medical teams. Most assistants execute administrative tasks, handling patient records and sending forms to insurance companies.
Some assistants also handle some clinical tasks. They may conduct basic tests on patients, including COVID-19 tests. Assistants can help with drawing blood, though they do not run blood tests.
They may prepare patients for more extensive tests, explaining to them what will happen. They can disinfect equipment for doctors to use and keep spaces for tests clean.
Medical assistants do not have medical licenses, though they can receive certificates. Under Section 6530 (11)Â of Education Law, medical assistants cannot perform any tasks that require a medical license.
This means that assistants cannot administer vaccinations, take x-rays, or place sutures on patients in the state of New York. However, other states do allow assistants to do this.
Keep in mind that the expectations and duties of medical assistants vary depending on the location. Assistants in hospitals may need to spend more time with patients than assistants in private offices or nursing facilities. Take a look at the postings of a few different jobs to learn more details about your responsibilities.
Examine Medical Assistant Programs
Obtaining a medical assistant certification in New York proves to employers that you have the knowledge and skills to perform good work. Not all employers require a certification, but many of them do, especially for management jobs. If you want to have job mobility, you must get a certificate.
You have options for medical assistant programs. Some community colleges run programs, but these programs can take a few months. You can also take online courses, which require less time and are usually cheaper.
But you shouldn’t take a course just because it will only take a few weeks of your time. You should find a program that will give you knowledge in many areas of medicine. You should know about laboratory procedures, administrative practices, and laws about medicine.
You can receive a certificate from the program director. You should also be able to apply for the National Clinical Medical Assistant Certification Exam. Passing this exam will give you a certificate that you can use at any medical facility in the country.
Some programs have prerequisites. You must be 18 years or older to enroll, and you may need a high school diploma or work experience. Read the terms of the program carefully before you pay for it.
Take Your Courses
Once you’ve signed up for a program, you can start taking your courses. Many online medical assistant certification programs let you learn at your own pace, so you can review course materials whenever you want.
Try to create a schedule for yourself. Find a convenient time when you can give your full attention to the course material every day.
You should take extensive notes on your material, but you shouldn’t write down everything. Write down big picture concepts and then take notes of examples that outline those concepts. You can also write down definitions of key terms and descriptions of medical procedures.
You will need to study when you are not in your courses. Try to create games for yourself, so you are more engaged with your material. You can make flashcards and quizzes to test your knowledge and rewrite your notes.
Gather Experience
Most programs require you to gain some real-life experience in order to graduate. You cannot be a formal medical assistant until you get your certificate, but you can gain experience through other ways.
Many doctor’s offices are looking for administrative assistants. You can work part-time or full-time, handling patient information and scheduling appointments.
If you prefer something more hands-on, you can work at an urgent care center. You may be able to talk to patients directly and help them navigate through the building.
Take Your Tests
You may need to take a final exam in order to graduate from your program. Prepare for your final exam several weeks in advance and ask questions to your teacher about it. You may need to answer multiple-choice and short-answer questions, and you may need to write essays.
You should memorize some key facts, but you should also put them in context. Explain why certain procedures are important and how you can conduct them.
The National Clinical Medical Assistant Certification Exam has 200 multiple-choice questions that you must answer in four 40-minute segments. The exam examines your knowledge of clinical procedures, legal issues, and insurance documents.
You can take practice tests in order to prepare and assess your performance. Taking your final exam in your training program will help you, but you need to do some more studying. Try studying for another month before you take your exam.
Learn How to Get a Medical Assistant Certification
You need to understand how to get a medical assistant certification. A certification will let you perform clinical and administrative work for medical teams in a variety of settings. You should find a program that gives you extensive knowledge of the medical industry.
However, you can’t just take courses. You need to develop your experience and perform well on tests. Take plenty of notes and spend time studying so you can get all of the important concepts down.
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Nancy L. Kimmel obtained her PhD in Environmental Engineering in 2002, then went on to teach Physics and Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University, Henry Ford College and Oakland University. She obtained her Associate in Nursing from Henry Ford College and then went on to earn her Master Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner and became Board Certified working as a licensed FNP in the State of Michigan. She then went on to Medical School where she is now in her 3rd year, and is also in the process of obtaining her Doctorate in Nursing Practice through Chamberlin University. She has authored the NET Study Guide, as well a several books on subjects of Math, ECG/EKG and Phlebotomy. She holds a patent on an Air Filter through the U.S. Patent Office.