Medical Assistant Career Guide: What to Know About the MA Career Path

Key Insights:

• Medical assistants (MAs) are often trained to perform both clinical (patient-facing) and non-clinical (office-related) functions. Clinical medical assistants generally have a more focused education or higher level of experience in clinical functions, supporting practices’ patient care needs.
• Medical assistants can be assigned a variety of duties, from answering the phones and scheduling appointments to taking patients’ vital signs and assisting physicians with minor in-office procedures. Training is typically needed to enter this occupation and may be required for certification.
• Ultimate Medical Academy offers several options for pursuing a medical assistant education, enabling adult learners to choose one that aligns with their career goals.

Some people want a healthcare role that works directly with patients. Others are interested in a position that involves office work. But what if you’d like to do both?

One healthcare professional who often has both patient care and administrative functions is a medical assistant (MA). If this sounds like it could be a career for you, here’s what you need to know about this position, including its job duties, whether you need medical assistant training to enter this role, and more.

What Is a Medical Assistant (MA)?

The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) calls MAs “a critical part” of both the patient experience and medical practice management.¹ Unlike healthcare roles rooted in daily healthcare business functions (such as medical biller and coder) or those with a heavy focus on direct care (like patient care technician), medical assisting often involves spending time in each of these areas. Entry-level medical assistants may be found in physicians’ offices, hospitals, and outpatient care centers.

What is a clinical medical assistant?

A clinical medical assistant title can mean that the MA has specialized training in and/or an advanced level of experience with clinical procedures. When it’s a position title in a job post, this can suggest that the role has more clinical duties (patient care) than administrative functions.

What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

If an MA can have both patient care and administrative functions, what exactly does this mean? Examples of medical assistant duties in each category include:

To learn more about the exact duties an MA may be assigned with a specific employer, read their medical assistant job description for open positions. These posts typically contain the job tasks you’d primarily be responsible for, giving you a better idea of what you could expect if you were to obtain that position.

MA Job Outlook: Are Medical Assistants in Demand?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that all occupations in the U.S. combined will grow 3% from 2024 to 2034; however, the projected growth for medical assistants is 12% during this same period.² This equates to roughly 112,300 openings per year, on average, over this decade.

The primary driver of this growth, according to the BLS, is an aging population. As more Americans get older, their medical needs are expected to increase. This raises the demand for medical assistants to assist healthcare organizations with the coinciding increase in clinical and administrative tasks.

Medical Assistant Training and Education

While some workers enter this occupation with on-the-job training, MAs typically need postsecondary education to learn the skills needed for this role.³ Completing a medical assistant program may also be required to pursue certification.

About medical assistant certification

The American Association of Medical Assistants reports that many allied health employers require or prefer that their medical assistants be certified.⁴ To earn certification, you must pass a test designed to assess your competency in areas relevant to this job role.

There are a variety of medical assistant credentials available to pursue. They include:

• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)

Each certification exam has its own eligibility requirements, which may involve the completion of a medical assistant training program.

What you learn in a medical assistant program

A medical assistant program can provide the knowledge and practical skills needed to enter this role. At UMA, we cover important topics such as:

• Clinical medical assisting procedures
• Cardiovascular procedures, including ECG
• Lab procedures, including phlebotomy and Point of Care Testing (POCT)
• Medical office administration

Courses in these areas are designed to prepare you for the MA role. Our Health Sciences – Clinical Medical Assistant Associate of Science / Associate of Applied Science Degree Program also includes general education and elective courses, providing a rounded education. Earning your degree in MA may also be required by employers, or it could also help you meet educational qualifications needed to advance to higher-level positions, if that aligns with your career goals.

Learn more: How Long Does It Take to Become a Medical Assistant?

Why Pursue an MA Career Path?

Are you still unsure whether becoming a medical assistant is the next step for you? That’s understandable. Choosing a career path is a major decision, especially if pursuing your degree means that you must balance school with work and home obligations.

To help, the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) shares five qualities that could support your success in a medical assisting position:⁵

1. You’re a team player.
2. You’re someone patients can trust.
3. You seek professional growth.
4. You’re a good communicator.
5. You’re flexible and able to think on your feet.

Do you possess some or all of these qualities, or are you willing to develop them? If so, you may consider pursuing a medical assistant career. The first step is to enroll in training, and Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) offers several options.

UMA’s Medical Assistant Program Options

When you pursue medical assistant training at UMA, you can choose from two different learning methods. If you’re looking for flexibility, we offer an online program.⁶ You can also choose our blended learning program for those in or around the Tampa Bay Area, which combines online coursework with on-campus skills training.⁷

Our Health Sciences – Clinical Medical Assistant Associate of Science Degree program can be completed in 18 months or more⁸ and includes a 180-hour externship, providing the opportunity to build your skills under supervision in a healthcare organization. It also includes preparation to sit for the CMA, RMA, and CCMA certification exams.⁹

Why UMA?

UMA has been delivering healthcare education programs for 30+ years. At the same time, we understand that career success isn’t just about what you learn in school.

It’s also about being supported in your academic pursuits, having someone to go to when you face challenges with your coursework, and gaining access to a team of individuals dedicated to helping with your job search as you enter this field — and down the road, if needed. At UMA, we put our learners first. No matter where you are in your healthcare career journey, we do what we can to help you meet your professional goals.

Contact us to learn more about what we can do for you, or to take the next step toward pursuing training for a medical assistant role.

FAQs

• What is an MA in the medical field? In the medical field, MA is short for medical assistant. This healthcare professional often performs both administrative and clinical duties, supporting facility operations and patient care.
• What do medical assistants do? Medical assistants’ job duties generally fall into one of two categories: administrative or clinical tasks. Administrative tasks include office-related functions such as answering phones and scheduling appointments. Clinical tasks involve working directly with patients, such as taking vital signs, drawing blood for labs, or assisting a physician with minor, in-office procedures.
• How much do medical assistants make? A medical assistant’s pay can vary depending on a variety of factors. It can be affected by your level of education, experience, certifications, geographical location, and more. To learn how much medical assistants make in your area, look at local job posts and see what area organizations pay. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also provides national wage information for medical assistants. So, this may be helpful as well.
• How can I gain experience as a new medical assistant? One way to gain experience is to choose a medical assistant program with an externship. An externship provides you with the opportunity to build your skills in an actual healthcare setting, under supervision. It also gives you experience to add to your healthcare resume, enabling you to tell potential employers that you have hands-on practice with certain procedures or practices.
• Why should I pursue medical assistant training at UMA? UMA’s medical assistant programs are designed to prepare you for this important healthcare role. We also offer numerous student services, each with team members there to support your success academically and in your career. Whether you have questions about financial aid, need help with your coursework, or could use assistance with your resume or job interview prep, we are here for you.