What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

Medical assistant jobs are projected to increase 15% between 2023 and 2033 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), creating a projected 119,800 openings for medical assistants each year, on average, over the decade.¹ If you’re interested in a healthcare career, understanding what medical assistants do can help you decide if this role may be a good fit for you.

What a Medical Assistant Does: 3 Areas of Responsibility

A medical assistant’s job functions can be categorized into three basic areas:

• Administrative duties
• Patient care tasks
• Assisting with medical procedures

Administrative or office-related tasks performed by a medical assistant include updating patients’ electronic health records, scheduling appointments, and making sure the facility’s inventory is stocked with the necessary office and medical supplies.

Medical assistants can also perform several patient care duties. Before meeting with the doctor, the medical assistant may speak with the patient to gather current medical information. Medical assistants are also trained to take patients’ vital signs (such as their blood pressure) and collect specimens for testing (like urine and blood).

Another important function of a medical assistant is to help physicians perform medical procedures. This gives the doctor another set of hands to assist, whether by having the medical assistant sterilize the necessary medical instruments beforehand or by providing the patient with proper care instructions once the procedure has ended.

Example of a Medical Assistant Job Description

Perhaps the best way to answer the question “what does a medical assistant do?” is to look at a job description for someone in this role. Monster.com shares a medical assistant job description template that lists a variety of duties and responsibilities common for people in this role, such as:²

• Providing patients with information and assistance
• Verifying patients’ health information and updating that information in their records if needed
• Collecting and recording patients’ vital signs (blood pressure, weight, height, etc.)
• Preparing patients for in-office procedures, also assisting physicians during these procedures
• Sharing the doctor’s orders to ensure patients understand their care instructions
• Scheduling patients’ future appointments, including those with other health agencies (i.e., surgical centers)
• Maintaining office equipment and monitoring supplies

Soft Skills Beneficial for Medical Assistants

The job description also often lists the soft skills employers seek in potential job candidates. Unlike the technical skills required to work as a medical assistant, these skills focus more on the personal qualities or traits that can help a person excel in this healthcare role.

Soft skills important for individuals in medical assistant positions include:³

• Critical thinking or the ability to be analytical
• Being detail-oriented, which is critical for information accuracy
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills when dealing with patients and other healthcare professionals
• Having compassion and empathy for patients in what can be stressful situations

Read the job description thoroughly to learn the skills your potential employer desires. Highlight the ones you have to help your resume stand out from applicants who submit a resume without addressing these skills.

Medical Assistant Education and Training

If the medical assistant role appeals to you, you may be wondering how to enter this healthcare position. Typically, a postsecondary education is required.⁴ Postsecondary education refers to some type of formal education that occurs after graduating from high school.

A medical assistant training program teaches the information and skills needed to fill this role. You gain the foundational knowledge needed to work in an entry-level healthcare position, such as learning medical terminology, human anatomy, and physiology. You also gain skills relevant to the medical assistant role specifically, such as clinical procedures, phlebotomy, and minor medical office surgeries.

Some medical assistant programs include an externship. This provides the opportunity to practice your skills in a real-life healthcare setting. The program may also provide certification prep. Medical assistants can pursue a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) designation upon meeting eligibility requirements, for example. This requires passing a certification exam, and some programs can help you prepare to sit for this examination.

Next Step: Enroll in a Medical Assistant Program

If you’re ready to get started, Ultimate Medical Academy offers a Medical Assistant diploma program at its Clearwater, Florida campus. This program can be completed in 15 months⁵ and includes a 220-hour externship for hands-on (supervised) training. It also prepares learners to sit for the RMA exam.

Why pursue medical assistant training at UMA? We offer our learners individualized support. Whether you are struggling with your classes, want help finding a job after graduation, or are dealing with problems outside of school that are making it harder to earn your diploma or degree, we’re here to help. We can connect you with one of our many student support teams, also connecting you with other outside resources that may be able to help, if you qualify.

Check out UMA to learn more about what we do. You can also contact us if you have questions or want to talk about your healthcare career goals. We’d love to know where your passion is and will do our best to help you find a career that aligns with your interests!

FAQs:

• How much does a medical assistant make? The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, as of May 2023, the median pay for medical assistants was $42,000 per year or $20.19 per hour.⁶ As a median, half make more than this amount and half make less. The bottom 10% of earners made less than $33,500, which may reflect work experience closer to entry-level. UMA’s graduates in the 2022-2023 cohort of its Medical Assistant diploma program reported to UMA that they earned a median hourly wage that is approximately at or slightly higher than the BLS’s lowest decile.⁷
• How long does it take to become a medical assistant? The time it takes to complete a medical assistant training program can vary. Learners at UMA can earn their diploma in 15 months.⁵ A degree program takes longer to complete, but also provides a more comprehensive education as it includes general education courses. UMA offers a Health Sciences – Medical Assistant associate degree program that learners can pursue once the diploma program is complete.
• What is a CMA in healthcare? CMA stands for Certified Medical Assistant. Like the RMA designation, being a CMA indicates that the person has passed a certification exam, which verifies their competency in key areas important to the medical assistant role.