Welcome to the Medical Assistant Website

WHAT IS A MEDICAL ASSISTANT?
Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. They should not be confused with physician assistants, who examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the direct supervision of a physician.

WHAT DOES A MEDICAL ASSISTANT DO?
The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually are generalists, handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area, under the supervision of department administrators.

Administrative duties include:

• Answering telephones
• Greeting patients
• Updating and filing patients’ medical records
• Filling out insurance forms
• Handling correspondence
• Scheduling appointments
• Arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services
• Handling billing and bookkeeping.

Clinical duties vary according to State law but can include:

• Taking medical histories and recording vital signs
• Explaining treatment procedures to patients
• Preparing patients for examination and assisting the physician during the examination

Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They instruct patients about medications and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for x rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Medical assistants work in well-lighted, clean environments. They constantly interact with other people and may have to handle several responsibilities at once.  Most full-time Medical Assistants work a regular 40-hour week. Many work part time, evenings, or weekends.

MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINING AND ADVANCEMENT
Most employers prefer graduates of formal programs in Medical Assisting. Such programs are offered in postsecondary vocational schools and junior colleges. Postsecondary programs usually last either 1 year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or 2 years, resulting in an associate degree. Courses cover anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology, as well as typing, transcription, recordkeeping, accounting, and insurance processing. Students learn laboratory techniques, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmaceutical principles, the administration of medications, and first aid. They study office practices, patient relations, medical law, and ethics. PBCC's Nationally Accredited Medical Assisting Program includes an Externship that provides practical experience in physicians’ offices.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Medical assistants held about 387,000 jobs in 2004. About 6 out of 10 worked in offices of physicians; about 14 percent worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities; and 11 percent worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. The rest worked mostly in outpatient care centers, public and private educational services, other ambulatory health care services, State and local government agencies, employment services, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and nursing care facilities.

JOB OUTLOOK
Employment of medical assistants is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014 as the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population. Increasing utilization of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth. In fact, medical assistants is projected to be one of the fastest growing occupations over the 2004–14 period.

Employment growth will be driven by the increase in the number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly the flexible medical assistant who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants work primarily in outpatient settings, a rapidly growing sector of the health care industry.  In view of the preference of many health care employers for trained personnel, job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience, particularly for those with certification.

WAGES AND EARNINGS
The earnings of Medical Assistants vary, depending on their experience, skill level, certification (CMA) and location. Median annual earnings of Medical Assistants were $24,610 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $20,650 and $28,930. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,010, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $34,650. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical assistants in May 2004 were:

American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA--Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), national certification, www.aama-nlt.org

CAAHEP--National Accreditation of Program

FSMA--Florida Society of Medical Assistants--State Chapter of AAMA, www.fsmaonline.org

American Medical Technologists--Registered Medical Assistant (RMA), www.amt1.com

Calendar of Events:

AAMA Annual Conventions

Medical Assistants Recognition Week and Recognition Day

FSMA Annual State Seminar/Convention

Business Partnership Council Meetings (BPC)--to provide long range planning, curriculum relevance, occupational forecasting and legislative advocacy for job preparatory programs.  Our members are a broad base of business/industry/government served by the program.  The Council shall meet a minimum of one time a year.

OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST:

MEDICAL CODER/BILLER

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION