The healthcare industry requires new professionals on a daily basis, especially with the increasing health crisis globally. One such sub-discipline within the health industry belongs to the medical assistants. The first job title for all medical assistance graduates is usually entry-level or junior CMA. However, there are a myriad of options waiting for you after gaining enough experience and skills on this stage. Once you have enough exposure as a medical assistant, you can advance your career through several opportunities in the pharmaceutical and medtech industries, such as in the fastest-growing companies in Ireland, which are booming and highly in demand right now. Whether you want to get into teaching, be a registered nurse, or become a supervisor, there are endless career choices for you that promise a lot of potential.
Aside from the aforementioned options, here are a few more options for you to explore in detail and choose one that suits your needs.
Consider clinical supervising
This option is great for you if you have expert management skills. Being a clinical supervisor, you’ll have to deal with the medical staff and the general functioning of a clinical facility. You’ll basically manage the entire staff and make sure that the staff’s professional needs are taken care of for smoother operations. You’ll also have to ensure that the working environment is safe and secure for confidential conversations and information exchange between the patients and staff. In general, you need to take care of the administrative department along with managing all finances, scheduling, and planning personal goals if needed, in a few cases. Additionally, you will be responsible for staffing a doctor’s office, ensuring that all roles are filled with competent professionals. This involves recruiting, hiring, and training staff to maintain a high standard of patient care and operational efficiency.
Become a mentor or teacher
What’s a better use of your knowledge than to pass it on to the next batch of aspiring medical assistants? Becoming a mentor or a teacher can help a lot of students in unimagined ways. In today’s competing world, excellent teaching and guiding skills are required for students to gain knowledge easily. You can contact any local or community college in your area to get a job as a full-time or part-time lecturer. You’d have to have sufficient knowledge about the practical aspects of being a medical assistant which can be passed on to the students. It’s a bonus if you have a CPR teaching certificate.
Become a registered nurse
At times, the tasks of a medical assistant are compared to those of a registered nurse. In fact, they are very different. While a medical assistant has simpler tasks to do such as doing administrative work and keeping patient’s records, a registered nurse is certified to perform a bit more complex medical procedures such as observing the patients, preparing them for further treatment, and handling equipment. A nursing degree and certification through the NCLEX-RN exam will help you in making the transition from ma to rn, after gaining a license depending on the state you reside in. This leap can be extremely beneficial for your career and can provide a major increase in your salary.
Get into health information management
As a Health Information Manager, you’ll have to deal with the administration of the clinic or medical setting through electronic health information systems. With the advent of technology, every discipline now uses digital tools to make its functions more accurate, easier, and faster. Your role would be denoted as an HIM professional, and you’ll have to develop more analytical skills for the post. It’s also important that your communication with your staff and patients be clear to avoid mistakes.
To become an HIM professional, you’ll need a degree in Health Information Management. With adequate experience, you can even jump on to roles such as a HIM Director or Project Manager.
Consider medical coding
To become a Medical Coder, you need to go through an extensive exam that can be difficult to pass. After passing this exam, you’ll receive a certification that denotes you as a CPC or Certified Professional Coder. But to gain a permanent position, you might have to go through a two-year apprenticeship or a combination of one year’s education with one year’s experience.
A Medical Coder’s main task is to assign a code to every patient and his/her treatment records, along with creating invoices from invoice generator tools and dealing with insurance companies at times. To become a Medical Coder, you’ll need an associate’s degree of two years after becoming a Medical Assistant.
Whether you want to get into an administrative and management sub-niche or into medical technology, every option mentioned here is in high demand and should be considered. Since there are a lot of opportunities for young medical assistants in specialized clinics and other medical facilities, you should go with a sub-discipline that reflects your passion and will make you an expert in your area.
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