Medical assisting is all about making a difference to people within your community and building a better future for yourself and your family. Working as a medical assistant is a career path you can be proud of. Whether certified or not, doctors agree: "We couldn't practice without our highly skilled medical assistants! We need them so we can focus directly on our patients while they keep the office running smoothly."

Medical Assistant Hero Song: "I've Got The Power!"

Based on my own experience as a former Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) the medical assistant is an important contributor to the medical practice's overall success. Remember the old-school radio hit "I've got the power" by Snap!? This definitely is a song any medical assistant can sing out loud and proud, however, often it is the medical assistant who remains the unsung hero of the medical office.

SNAP - Ive got the power-MIX

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Aspiring Medical Assistants

Aspiring medical assistants have the option of being trained directly on the job by the doctor who hired them, or enroll in a medical assistant vocational training program for the purpose of obtaining a qualified medical assistant diploma under the guidance of a medical assistant instructor to earn recognized certifications, diplomas and degrees. As an alternative to classroom instruction upcoming medical assistants can also utilize self-study programs offered online to learn career focused principles on their own time over the Internet. Each option has benefits and disadvantages where each individual must decide which training path is best for them and which long and short term goals they wish to pursue.

What Every Medical Assistant Should Know

Medical Assistant Training Options - Future medical assistants can obtain their job skills either though eclectic instruction from qualified medical assistant instructors at vocational training institutions, by distance education from online medical assistant self-study programs, direct on the job (OTJ) training, or through the military. On the job training for medical assistants typically occurs under the direct supervision of the doctor who hired them and focuses only on the skills needed. Typically, this training is limited to only the specific office's needs and rarely goes beyond that.

Free Programs For Medical Assistants - Free training and self study programs for medical assistant students. As the skills required in health care professionals cannot be learned from any single source, we encourage everybody to make use of the resources offered and to seek as many free sources and references as possible.

Medical Assistant Certification - Certification is a written competency test to document the individual’s knowledge in a specific discipline. Many employers, usually practicing physicians and other health care providers now expect 1-3 years job experience and industry recognized certifications, however, certification does not always automatically mean that one medical assistant is better than another.

Medical Assistant Jobs - Medical assistant students need experience! They often seek temporary part-time work to gain hands-on experience while in school, and earn the money they need for their family or education. So, they partner with local Temporary Staffing Agencies to help them find jobs.

Medical Assistant Workplace - Those aiming to become a medical assistant should understand their normal work hours, work environment, earnings, scope of practice and proper conduct at work.

Medical Assistant Employment - Employers prefer medical assistant hires with a certain amount of training and experience in the field. They also want to make sure their employees understand the ethical codes of conduct pertaining their field. This is particularly true in the medical technology and health care industry.

The Advanced Medical Assistant Title

Officially there is no such title (or credential) as Advanced Medical Assistant, however we coined the phrase "advanced medical assistant" in 2002 as part of our web building efforts specifically for medical assistants to give ourselves a fitting name. At the same time we wanted to provide experienced non-certified medical assistants a place to come to for networking, and getting the recognition they deserve for their dedication and hard work.

We have noticed that since then many other medical assistant web designers and programs have adopted this phrase to describe their educational offers aimed toward prospective medical assistant students on the Web. Sometimes their course description speaks of advanced medical assistant programs and training when they are actually referring to vocational medical assistant training that allows them to take a medical assistant certification exam upon successful graduation.

We know thousands of medical assistants who strive for personal growth and professional advancement. There is a plethora of successful, non-certified medical assistants working everywhere; they are just as highly skilled and deeply dedicated to their job as their certified counter parts. These devoted medical assistants are the unsung HEROES of medical offices everywhere and predominantly work in mid- to large size medical group practices, wellness and health care clinics, as well as medical centers, and hospitals everywhere. Their services are also sought by HMO's, medical reference laboratories, nursing homes, and hemodialysis centers.

For those who are looking for a medical assistant postition and need to write a resume, cover letter, or application that fits the job, we have put together step by step resume writing tips that will help with this process.