Behind the Scenes of a Medical Assistant: Duties, Settings, and Career Outlook

Key Insights:

• A medical assistant’s role is twofold. They support healthcare office efficiency by performing administrative tasks like scheduling appointments, while also providing patient care through their clinical duties.
• You can find medical assistants in a variety of healthcare settings, from physicians’ offices to hospitals to outpatient care centers, and the job outlook for this profession is projected to be one of growth in the years ahead.
• Completing a medical assistant program, such as the Health Sciences – Medical Assistant Associate of Science / Associate of Applied Science Degree program offered at Ultimate Medical Academy, can help you prepare for this healthcare role.

A survey of 420 medical practice leaders found that the one role they were having the most trouble filling was medical assistant.¹ If you’re interested in this healthcare field, a medical assistant program can help you prepare. But if you’re still unsure whether it’s the career path for you, it may help to learn more about medical assistant duties and settings, as well as what the job demand might look like in the years ahead.

The Medical Assistant’s Role in Healthcare

The medical assistant role encompasses both administrative and clinical duties. This means that professionals working in this position can help healthcare offices run efficiently by handling certain office tasks, while also supporting patient care through their clinical job functions.

The American Association of Medical Assistants adds that people in the medical assisting profession make a direct impact on patients’ lives through their care and support.² This could be by using your skills to reduce patients’ anxiety during a blood draw, for instance, or by showing compassion when educating patients about their physician-prescribed care plan.

What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

Now that you have an overview of the medical assistant role, let’s dive a little deeper. Let’s look at the types of tasks someone in this position may be responsible for performing.

Medical assistant job duties can be split into two basic categories: administrative tasks and clinical or patient care tasks. Examples of administrative tasks a medical assistant may be assigned include:

• Updating patients’ health records
• Scheduling appointments
• Monitoring medical and office supplies

A medical assistant’s patient care tasks may involve:

• Gathering patients’ health information
• Taking their vital signs
• Collecting specimens (like blood or urine) for testing
• Assisting physicians with exams and minor medical procedures

Medical assistant vs. other healthcare roles

Because medical assistants’ job duties can overlap with those of other healthcare professions, it can be easy to confuse these roles. Two positions that share some of the same job duties, yet are different, are medical administrative assistant and certified nursing assistant (CNA).

One of the main differences between a medical assistant and a medical administrative assistant is the type of care each can provide. A medical assistant can provide more direct patient care, such as taking vitals and drawing blood for lab tests, whereas a medical administrative assistant cares for patients through supporting healthcare practice efficiency.

What about medical assistants vs. CNAs? While medical assistants can perform clinical functions, CNAs are focused on helping patients with activities of daily living (such as eating and bathing) and providing basic patient care. This care might involve checking their wounds to prevent infection, recording patients’ health symptoms, or relaying pertinent information to their healthcare team.

Where Medical Assistants Work

Medical assistants can be found in a variety of healthcare settings, some of which include:

• Physicians’ offices
• Hospitals
• Outpatient care centers
• Chiropractors’ offices

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that offices of physicians employ the largest number of medical assistants at 57%.³ This is followed by hospitals (17%), outpatient care centers (10%), and offices of other health practitioners (7%).

Future Projections for Medical Assistants

Is there a growing demand for medical assistants? The numbers look promising. The BLS projects a 12% increase in medical assistant occupations between 2024 and 2034, a rate that is “much faster than average” when considering all occupations within the U.S.⁴ This would equate to roughly 112,300 openings each year in this profession, on average, during this timeframe.

In May 2024, the states with the highest employment for medical assistants were:⁵

• California
• Texas
• Florida
• New York
• Georgia

Prepare for This Role With a Medical Assistant Program

If these medical assistant duties and settings sound appealing to you, a medical assistant program can help you prepare. Through a combination of coursework and hands-on clinical training, you can begin to develop the medical assistant skills needed for this healthcare role.

For example, in UMA’s Health Sciences – Medical Assistant Associate of Science / Associate of Applied Science Degree program, we cover important topics like:

• Medical terminology
• Anatomy and physiology
• Clinical lab procedures
• Minor medical office surgeries
• Phlebotomy (drawing blood)
• Pharmacology (the study of drugs and medications)

If you’re wondering about the medical assistant timeline, this program can be completed in 15 months or more.⁶ It includes 220 hours of supervised training, and learners also receive preparation to sit for the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) exam, if eligible.⁷

Contact us to learn more or to enroll. Be sure to check out our student services, too. From our Student Finance team who can help you navigate the world of financial aid to our Career Services team who can assist with your job search once you’re ready to enter the field, we are here to care for you so you can go on to care for others.

FAQs

• What tasks do medical assistants perform daily? A medical assistant’s daily tasks can vary, but may include taking patients’ vital signs, collecting specimens for testing, updating patients’ health records, scheduling appointments, and assisting physicians with exams and minor in-office procedures.
• Where can medical assistants work? Medical assistants may find employment in a variety of healthcare settings, some of which include doctors’ offices, hospitals, outpatient care centers, and chiropractors’ offices.
• Is patient-care experience required to become a medical assistant? Not always, but it depends on the employer. Some employers may prefer job applicants with experience in patient care, while others offer on-the-job training to help you acquire experience. Choosing a medical assistant program that includes an externship can also provide experience in a healthcare setting. For example, UMA’s Health Sciences – Medical Assistant Associate of Science / Associate of Applied Science Degree program includes a 220-hour externship that offers this opportunity.
• What is the job outlook for medical assistants? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that medical assistant occupations will grow by 12% between 2024 and 2034.⁴ This would lead to approximately 112,300 openings each year, on average, during this time.
• Do medical assistants need certification or a diploma? Not necessarily, but medical assistants do typically complete a certificate or associate degree program to enter this role.⁸ This type of program can provide the knowledge and skills needed for this healthcare role.