Medial assistants are key personnel in any health care facility or setting. Medical offices have to run smoothly and efficiently to provide an effective service, and it’s the job of medical assisting professionals to help make that goal a reality. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical assisting job opportunities are projected to grow 34 percent through 2018, which is faster than the average for all occupations.*
As the population ages, there will be an increased need for health care workers who can meet the growing demand for health care services. Conditions such as diabetes and obesity are two additional causes that will create greater demand for medical assistants now and in the near future.
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) provides comprehensive information on workers and occupations. According to O*NET, the median salary in 2009 for medical assisting technicians was $13.77 hourly, and $28,650 annually.**
Of course, the salary that medical assisting technicians can hope to earn depends on personal experience, local market conditions, level of technical education, or possession of a degree or diploma from an accredited school offering a medical assisting program training. Other factors that can influence the salary range for medical assisting professionals is whether they work in a public or private facility, the size of the company they’re employed at or if they possess a medical assisting certification.
For thousands of people, medical assisting is a rewarding and challenging career. If you’re the kind of person that enjoys helping others in a health care environment, then a career in medical assisting could be the perfect means of taking life’s possibilities to a whole new level.