The demands on medical offices has grown on the clinical and administrative parts. To answer this demand, the occupation of medical assistant has become popular.

As a medical assistant, you perform several administrative duties such as filing insurance claims, or you could be perform clinical duties, such as taking vital signs. In larger offices, you would do more administrative duties while smaller medical offices would have you perform more clinical work. You could also do both duties evenly.

Medical Assistant Training

There are no concrete requirements, but a high school diploma is preferred. Medical assistant training is offered at junior colleges where the training can be part of an associate degree. medical assistant schools offer training that usually lasts a year, or, in some cases, high schools offer medical assistant training. Classes cover typing, math, bookkeeping, biology, and health, among others. You can also get you medical assistant training via on the job. However, an accredited training program is preferred.

Job growth for medical assistants is expected to grow by 34 percent by 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May 2008, the median salary for medical assistants was $28,300. That may not sound like much, but the medical assistant occupation is often used as a stepping stone to higher paying jobs in the medical field.

Also, being a certified medical assistant, or CMA, indicates a certain amount of skill and knowledge. The awarding organization has varying requirements and some even offer specialization, such as podiatry, or optometry.

Matt Riddle is a freelance writer based out of Reno, Nev. A journalism graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno, Riddle was a newspaper reporter and then an account coordinator for a political consultant in Reno where he worked for several successful campaigns. His interests are many, but CrossFit, rock climbing, reading and writing, skiing, snowboarding, fatherhood and acting round up the list.

Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition: Medical Assistants • Dec 17, 2009 • http://www.bls.gov/oco • http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos164.htm