Is a Medical Assistant a Good Career?

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If you’re thinking about becoming a medical assistant technician, you might be wondering whether a medical assistant is a good career choice. If this is you, here is a comprehensive list of reasons why pursuing a career as a medical assistant is a good career choice. If you find that becoming a medical assistant is the right move for you, consider enrolling in UEI College's Medical Assistant Program. You can earn the diploma in as few as 10 months, allowing you to break into the healthcare field quickly.

Now, let's go into what makes a career as a medical assistant a great choice!

Why is a Medical Assistant a Good Career Choice?

A Medical Assistant is a good career choice for the reasons below. First, let's explore some of the advantages (pros) of pursuing a career as a medical assistant.

1. Availability of Short-Term Career Training

Becoming a Medical Assistant is a good career choice because of the availability of quality Medical Assistant Career Training Programs, such as the Medical Assistant Technician Program offered by UEI College. Additionally, our MA Program is short-term, meaning students can earn their diploma in as few as 10 months, allowing them to begin a career in the healthcare sector in a short period of time. Unlike college degree programs which may take four years to complete, the Medical Assistant Program can be completed in as few as 10 months.

2. Requirements to Begin Training Are Minimal

To enroll in UEI College's Medical Assistant Program, all you need is to have a high school diploma or equivalent. After earning a Medical Assistant diploma, you'll be ready to begin searching for entry-level medical assisting positions.

3. Complete a Portion of Your Education Online

There are medical assistant programs that can be completed entirely online, and there are others that allow students to complete a portion of their education online. For example, UEI College's Medical Assistant Technician Program is hybrid, meaning students complete a portion of their education online from the comfort of their own homes. The second portion requires them to attend on-site classes where they can practice the skills they’ve learned hands-on.

4. You Can Work in Various Settings

As a medical assistant, you will be able to work in various settings and work environments. For example, medical assistants can work in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, nursing homes, and rehabilitation facilities just to name a few. So, if you decide to pursue a career as a medical assistant, you will have many work environments to choose from.

5. Your Skills Will Remain with You

Although the requirements to practice as a medical assistant varies from state to state, the skills you will learn from a Medical Assistant Program will remain with you no matter where you decide to work in the United States.

6. Flexible Work Hours

Medical assistants work flexible hours, as some employers allow medical assistants to set their own schedules. For example, suppose you prefer to work on weekends instead of weekdays. In that case, your employer may be able to accommodate that request because medical facilities are often open 24/7 since health problems can occur at any time. Additionally, some healthcare facilities operate at nighttime, so if you prefer to work during the night, you may be able to find a position that allows you to do so. If this sounds good to you, you should consider training to become a medical assistant.

7. Every Day is Different

If you’ve ever asked a medical assistant what their day looks like, they will tell you that no day looks the same. Different people from different backgrounds come in with different illnesses and issues that need to be attended to. So, suppose you enjoy having variety in your day to keep work exciting. In that case, you should strongly consider a career as a medical assistant because your day will definitely be filled with variety.

8. Hands-on Work

Medical Assistant work is mostly hands-on in that you will be required to be on your feet, constantly moving and assisting doctors to care for patients. So, if you don’t want to be glued to a desk for a major part of the day, you should consider becoming a medical assistant. A career as a medical assistant will allow you to work with your hands since you’ll spend a major part of the day on your feet helping people feel better.

9. Making People Feel Better

As a medical assistant, you will quite literally be able to make people feel better by assisting doctors who are helping patients, and you will be making a difference in their life. That is, you will assist doctors and healthcare professionals who are caring for patients. So, if you’re someone who enjoys helping others feel better, a career as a medical assistant may be the right move for you.

10. Medical Assisting is Interesting Work

Being a medical assistant is an interesting position. You will encounter different people with different illnesses who are seeking medical help. Learning about patients and gathering information about them for doctors to diagnose them is interesting, especially when you consider the fact that people from different walks of life all need medical care, so you will learn a lot about different types of people, and for some, this is super interesting.

11. Medical Assisting is a Stable Career Choice

A career as a medical assistant is quite stable in that the sector has a decent rate of turnover. Additionally, with the pandemic and other health issues facing people today, there is a strong need for healthcare professionals to assist doctors and other healthcare professionals care for patients. So, as long as hospitals and clinics remain open to help people who are in need of healthcare, there will be a need for qualified medical assistants to help these healthcare institutions care for the patients that come through their doors.

12. Work Environments Are Clean

Medical facilities tend to be very clean for patients and medical professionals. So, if you want to work in a clean environment, you should consider becoming a medical assistant.

13. Job Satisfaction is High

If you were to ask medical assistants whether they’re satisfied with their position, many would answer with a resounding yes! Many medical assistants find their job to be rewarding since they are able to make people feel better by assisting them with obtaining the healthcare that they need.

14. Strengthening Your Social Skills

Medical assistants typically work with patients of different ages, different ethnic backgrounds, and different ailments. As a result of working with such a diverse set of people, medical assistants are able to improve their interpersonal and communication skills by communicating and helping such patients. So, if you want to seek a career in a position where you will deal with a diverse set of people, you should consider training for a career as a medical assistant.

15. Gaining Invaluable Knowledge

While working as a medical assistant, you will learn a lot on the job. You can use your newly learned knowledge to excel in your current career as well as break into another healthcare-related career should you choose to do so. As a medical assistant, you will learn a lot about direct patient care, administrative aspects of healthcare, and record keeping. Overall, as a medical assistant, you will build a great foundation to excel in your current position. You may also be able to use that foundation to excel in other careers within the healthcare field.

16. Medical Assistant Work is Interesting

One of the great things about being a medical assistant is that it’s an interesting career. It’s an interesting career because you get to work with a lot of people from different walks of life. You will also deal with many physicians and healthcare professionals. You will also encounter many different people who are dealing with different ailments. The process of helping people feel better by addressing their issues is interesting work. So, if you want to work in a profession where no one day is the same, a career as a medical assistant should be on your radar.

17. Adaptable Skills

As a medical assistant, you will learn a variety of skills that you can transfer to another career in the healthcare field. So, if you want a career where you will always be learning new things that you can use for another career in the healthcare field, you should add the option of becoming a medical assistant to your list.

18. Getting Ready For Your Work Day is Easy

As a medical assistant, you will likely wear your scrubs to work on a daily basis, making it extremely easy for you to get ready for work. This takes the frustration out of having to choose your clothes for the day. So, if you enjoy wearing scrubs to work every day, a career as a medical assistant may be the right move for you.

19. Your Work as a Medical Assistant Will Be Appreciated

Your work as a medical assistant will likely be appreciated, especially if you are kind and friendly to the patients who you assist. In fact, many medical assistants are appreciated by the patients they assist, with some patients expressing their gratitude to medical assistants.

20. Medical Assistants Fill Many Roles

Medical assistants fill many roles in hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. They help with many aspects of the day-to-day duties, making them essential for the efficient and smooth running of such facilities. So, if you want to start a career in a field where you will wear many hats, a career as a medical assistant may be the right career move for you.

21. You Will Feel Secure in Your Professional as a Medical Assistant

Medical assistants feel secure in their positions because there is high demand for healthcare, especially in today’s world with the pandemic and aging baby boomer population. As people grow older and get sick, there is a higher demand for healthcare services. For healthcare facilities to operate smoothly requires medical assistants to assist physicians and other healthcare professionals in ensuring that such facilities run smoothly.

22. No Need to Sit at a Computer for the Entire Day

As a medical assistant, you will be on your feet and working with your hands. Although you might have to use computers to input information and check patient medical charts, the advantage of being a medical assistant is that you will not be glued to a computer for the entire day. So, if you like hands-on work and don’t want to sit at a computer for the entire day, a career as a medical assistant may be the right move for you.

23. Opportunities as Travelling Medical Assistants

If the idea of traveling the country seems appealing to you, you should consider becoming a medical assistant. There are many opportunities for traveling medical assistants that travel from location to location to address the need for medical assistants. You will work as a medical assistant, but the only difference is that you would help a variety of different clinics and hospitals throughout the country, providing you with an opportunity to experience different locations across the country. That said, the requirements to practice as a medical assistant varies by geographic location, so you want to check the requirements for the state in which you want to practice as a medical assistant.

24. Financial Aid

If you need financial assistance to obtain career training to pursue a career in the medical assistant field, you will be delighted to know that there may be some financial aid options available to you. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. If you qualify for financial aid, you may be eligible to receive loans, scholarships, grants, or other forms of financial aid.

Now that we have covered the top benefits/advantages of a medical assistant career let us dive into some of the cons or disadvantages that come along with a medical assistant career.

What Are the Disadvantages of a Medical Assistant Career?

Explore some of the disadvantages or cons of pursuing a career as a medical assistant.

1. Difficulty Dealing with Some Patients

Although the many of patients you will encounter will be easy to work with, however, you will have the occasional difficult to deal with patient. So, if you’re thinking about pursuing a career as a medical assistant, you should keep in mind that many of the patients you’re going to see are not feeling good, and so they might not be very pleasant to work with.

2. Stressful Job

Some medical assistant positions can be stressful both physically and mentally. For example, some medical assistants must deal with not only difficult patients but the death of patients and grieving family members. Additionally, medical assistants have multiple duties and roles to perform, making it stressful at times. You should keep this in mind if you’re considering entering the field.

3. Long Work Hours

Although schedules tend to be flexible for medical assistants, sometimes they have to work long hours, such as when emergencies arise. Especially now, with staff shortages plaguing medical facilities, medical assistants may be required to work longer hours to cover for others. This is something to consider as a disadvantage of being a medical assistant.

4. You Need to Pay for Your Education

Unfortunately, you must be able to pay a tuition to complete a medical assistant technician diploma program. That said, financial aid may be available to you in the form of student loans scholarships, and grants. Financial aid is available to those who qualify.

5. You May Witness the Death of Others

As a medical assistant, you may work in hospitals; as such, you might witness the death of others, which can be very painful and emotionally draining. So, if you do not feel comfortable seeing dead/dying people, this may not be the right career choice for you.

6. Excellent Communication Skills

If you don’t have the best communication skills, you better work on improving them if you want to become a medical assistant. This is so because you will need to be able to communicate with doctors and healthcare professionals to get the job done right and efficiently.

7. Various Job Responsibilities

As a medical assistant, you will have many job responsibilities, so you must be very good at multi-tasking and keeping track of your time so that you can perform your duties in a time-efficient manner. For example, you may be responsible for scheduling patient appointments, checking and recording patients’ vital signs, and updating medical records. So, you must be able to perform these responsibilities. If you’re not good at multi-tasking and moving around quickly, this career might not be the right move for you.

8. Lack of Independence

As a medical assistant, you will not have the independence to choose the tasks that you work on. For example, many medical assistants are assigned various tasks that they are required to complete, leaving little room for them to choose what they want to work on. Typically, the doctor or healthcare provider that you work with will assign you your responsibilities, leaving you with little control over your day. This is something that you should keep in mind if you’re considering breaking into the medical assistant field.

9. Dealing with Workplace Biohazards

If you work in a hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility, there may be a chance that you will come into contact with biohazards. For example, as a medical assistant, you may have to deal with a patient’s blood, urine, or stool samples, and so you must have the proper training to deal with such biohazards in a safe manner. Moreover, patients who come into healthcare facilities may have airborne diseases that might be transferred to you. So, these are things that you should keep in mind if you’re aspiring to become a medical assistant.

10. Legal Risks

As a medical assistant, you will be entering a highly regulated field. Making mistakes in a hospital or medical clinic could subject both you and your employer to legal consequences. So, when performing your job duties, you must pay extra attention so that you perform them correctly to avoid legal consequences. If you are not thorough and are not used to paying close to attention to the tasks you’re working on, becoming a medical assistant might not be the right move for you.

Should You Become a Medical Assistant?

If, after weighing the pros and cons of a medical career, you find that you’re still interested, you should consider obtaining the necessary training to become a medical assistant. The availability of short-term Medical Assistant Programs is excellent for students who want to become a medical assistant in a short period of time. For example, UEI College's Medical Assistant Program can be completed in as few as 10 months, placing you on track to beginning a career as a medical assistant in less than a year.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Medical Assistant?

UEI College's Medical Assistant Technician Program can be completed in as few as 10 months. This means that you can earn your diploma in less than a year if you focus on your education. Also, UEI College offers ongoing enrollment on a monthly basis, meaning you can begin your career training in less than a month.

Consider Enrolling in UEI College's Medical Assistant Program

If you're interested in becoming a medical assistant, you should consider enrolling in UEI College's Medical Assistant Program. The great thing about our program is that it's short-term, allowing you to earn your diploma in as few as 10 months! Also, enrollment is performed on a monthly basis, so there is little to no waiting to begin training for a career as a medical assistant. Contact us, and one of our admissions professionals will reach out to you and provide you with all of the information that you need to enroll in the Medical Assistant Program.

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