In order to get your medical assistant certification, you will have to spend time and money and put forth a lot of effort to get into this field. Due to this, before you start, you should examine both the positive aspects of this industry and the negative things as well. Let’s examine a this industry in detail and help you figure out whether this will be a positive experience for you or a negative experience.
PROS
One thing is for sure, the medical industry is growing at a rapid pace. Many people are losing their jobs and fighting to stay afloat in this struggling economy. This struggle, though, is not being felt as much in the field of medical assisting.
In any given town, there are numerous hospitals, doctor’s offices, physician’s, clinics, dentists, and other opportunities for a qualified CMA to get employed. This is a huge benefit to you if you enter this job arena, because you can be sure that your job will be in demand for years to come.
In this position, you’ll also find that you can make very good money if you stick in it long enough. While entry-level positions might not pay a lot, you can make up to 40k and sometimes more in this field.
But one of the best advantages is that a medical assistant certification gives you an incredible base in which to launch your career. You can get into hospital administration. You can go into nursing. You can decide on virtually any pathway, all the while learning how the medical industry works.
Finally, you don’t have to go to school for a long time. You can get certified in as little as one year. And some people are able to get entry-level positions without any schooling at all. Of course, this may limit your advancement potential, but it is possible.
CONS
The pay is not nearly as good as that of a nurse. Some look at that as a con. You might have to go to school for 1 or 2 years, and still find that you are making far less than a nurse who went to school for 2 years.
But understand that a medical assistant isn’t required to do all the clinical things and “get their hands dirty” like a nurse is. Many people are unable to handle that side of the industry, and so for them, medical assisting is perfect.
Another con is related to the above, in that you might find yourself in a position where you spend most of your day in the office. Be careful when you get hired not to get casted in an office role, if you want to do more clinical work. Your schooling will play a large part.
If you do happen to get a job without any schooling, than chances are you will be answering the phone and not doing much of anything in the way of assisting the doctor or physician.
In conclusion, you can see that there are both pros and cons in this industry. It’s very stable, it’s in demand, and the pay is relatively good. However, in comparison to nursing, the pay isn’t so good. But hopefully you understand why that is. Nursing is not for everyone. If you think a medical assistant certification is what you want, then we recommend starting your research today!
