What do medical assistants actually do? What is the cost of training a medical assistant? If these are the questions on your mind, then this article on cost of medical assistant training and medical assistant job description will be useful for you.
Medical assistants perform wide range of duties in clinics, hospitals and health care centers. These are considered to be one of the best medical jobs because medical assistants hold an important position at their work place. The salaries for medical assistants have seen a growing trend mostly due to the increase in the number of hospitals across the world and the overall progress of the global health care industry. Medical assistant training is imparted by many accredited institutions. Before we discuss the medical assistant training cost, let us first understand the medical assistant job description in the next paragraph.
Medical Assistant Job Description
Medical assistants are responsible for administrative and front office tasks at their place of work. They can also handle busy clinic desks and answer internal as well as external phone calls at the reception counter. They carry out the important task of managing appointments of the patients with their concerned doctors. Medical assistants also assist in maintaining hospital office records. These professionals also maintain information of patients and past cases and medical records.
Apart from patient records, medical assistants working in the administration department also keep a track of financial transactions of the hospital. They also provide personal counseling to patients and their family members regarding the ways of functioning of the hospital. Processing medical insurance claims, keeping records of machinery and equipment purchased by the hospital are some duties of a medical assistant. Also working in medical labs, in times of need, can be part of the job of certified medical assistants.
This brings us to the logical query of how to become a medical assistant? A technical course certificate, or a higher secondary diploma is necessary to work for these positions. CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) accredited colleges students receive good placement offers. Many candidates with an Associate of Applied Science degree are known to get good jobs in this field. Clearing the certified medical assistant exam with good numbers can prove vital to maximize the career opportunities in this field.
Cost of Training a Medical Assistant
Medical assistant training consists of both, classroom as well as on the job practical training. As per available data, experts believe that private institutions imparting medical assistant training can charge up to $10,000 for a two year course of medical assistant training. If you opt for a one year training program for medical assistant training, then you might have to pay anywhere between $2500 to $4300 as tuition fees. Apart from college fees, you will have to pay an extra $95 to $170 as examination fees.
If you are a good student, then recovering these expenses would not be a big problem because most medical assistants earn around $25,000 to $30,000 per year. The salary of a certified medical assistant rises with promotions and experience. After sufficient experience, earning around $35,000 per year is also possible. Hopefully, you are satisfied with the content on medical assistant training cost and job description, given in this article. So, start your preparations immediately to grab these jobs and secure your financial future.