The jobs in medical field continue to grow in the United States providing opportunities that recently did not exist. One example, medical administrative assistants, illustrates the ways in which salaries are climbing and job openings are appearing like never before.
The medical administrative assistant salary can vary widely depending on both location and education level. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for medical assistants of all kinds was $28,650 as of 2009, although more recent numbers from other organizations suggest average salaries closer to $33,000.
There are many factors that figure into a medical administrative assistant salary; those working for specialty physicians, such as podiatrists or psychiatrists, make much more, generally between $35,900 and $46,400. Pay also varies depending on location; medial assistants in areas such as Massachusetts and Washington D.C. made much more than those in Kansas or the southern states.
Top pay requires maximum education in the field. For medical administrative assistants, this means a high school degree in addition to one or two years of higher medial education. Such programs are usually found at community or for-profit colleges. While they cost anywhere from one to ten thousand dollars to complete, getting a degree from such a program often leads to a significantly higher salary.
Courses leading to such positions center on both medical classes, such as anatomy and first aid and clerical classes, such as office management and fundamentals of medical billing. As workers at a crossroads between medicine and bookkeeping, medical administrative assistants are required to know a great deal about both fields.
Workers in the field may be expected to carry out a variety of tasks, many more than in the past. Instead of being a simple desk job, medical administrative assistants may be expected to carry out some basic medical procedures to prepare patients to meet with physicians. Additionally, assistants are typically expected to work well with computers, manage records for their office, operate phones, and manage patients in the reception area. They must understand medical terminology, office procedures, and computer technology, implementing their skills as transcriptionists, office clerks, and insurance agents.
Occupations in medical fields In the United States continue to grow, and medical administrative assistants will become more in demand as time continues. In fact, the field is set to be one of the fastest growing occupations in the next ten years, reaching over 650,000 jobs by 2020 in the U.S. alone with some of the greatest single company need being Kaiser Permanente jobs as they just have a ton of positions to fill.. Although more people are moving into the field due to its stability, the medical administrative assistant salary will likely rise due to continuing increases in demand.
As noted above, the medical administrative assistant salary levels vary considerably based on the traits listed above. When considering a career in the field, it is important to consider the salary potential of the position as well as the education required, tasks involved, and growth outlook of the field.
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