subject: Are You Ready For Your Career As A Medical Assistant? [print this page] Are You Ready For Your Career As A Medical Assistant?
Are you thinking of becoming a medical assistant? Not only is this a hugely popular career but many people happily work in it for 30, 40 and even 50 years. It can be a very rewarding career choice and the fact that you get to work with people and help them in their most desperate state can be an immense emotional reward. On top of that it can also be a very financially rewarding job and there are opportunities for you to advance your career in many ways that you are probably not even aware of.Through all the turmoil of the global financial meltdown there was one sector of the economy that remained pretty much unaffected and that is the medical field. From this point of view it can be a very safe career choice and the latest forecasts indicate that there will be a booming demand for qualified staff in virtually all medical fields.Working as a medical assistant is not everybody;s cup of tea. It takes a very specific personality to flourish in this field. The great thing about it is that there are different areas and job titles that cater to different skills and different personalities. At the basic level you can be an assistant in a private medical practice where you can either be the front desk assistant or an assistant that works right next to the doctor.While private practice offers great opportunities you can always venture into the much more exciting side of assisting in surgical procedures and working right next to qualified doctors, nurses and specialists.In the past many medical assistant programs allowed for you to start work without any prior training. You would gain all your training and experience on the job, but today the workforce is just too demanding. You will need a qualification and this varies from a 6 month introductory course to a 3 year qualification at a tertiary institute.Its important that you know exactly what you let yourself in for when you venture into this field. There are 2 quick tips that I would encourage you to take up before you take the next step in becoming a medical assistant.1. Find someone who is already doing the job you want to do and talk to them. Ask them about the job, the daily challenges and the reality of doing it day in and day out.2. Try and find an internship. Many hospitals have programs that allow for students to do 1 day to 1 week internships where you can see hand -on what the job is all about.Are you looking for good dental hygiene schools? See my blog to read more about dental assistant programs ...
