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When people think about their future and have to decide which occupation to choose, many of them decide to try their luck with the jobs that they love doing.
On the other hand, some look for a job that will earn them enough money to have a decent life.
The medical assistant career is the perfect way for novices to get into the medical field since this vocation can become a fulfilling, lifelong career that can ensure a salary that is big enough for a normal life.
It is also a fulfilling career as caring for people, helping them and working with patients can be encouraging, inspiring and very rewarding.
Article Table of Contents
Job Description
The basic duties of a medical assistant are focused on helping others.
Whether those are physicians in their practice while examining patients or performing surgery, other healthcare professionals while doing interventions, or the patients themselves.
Their daily obligation is keeping and updating patient histories, answering their questions, show patients how to take medication prescribed by the physicians.
They are the major link between the patient and other members of the healthcare team and the efficient functioning of the facility is entrusted to them.
Becoming a Medical Assistant in Illinois
No laws are governing that medical assistants in Illinois must possess a specific level of training, but they are permitted to perform medical assisting tasks only under the direct supervision of physicians.
After education and training, which makes a well-qualified medical assistant in Illinois, they will be fully prepared to work as medical assistants and will have the required knowledge to be sure what to do when the serious issues are entrusted to them.
The choice of programs should be careful since the chance of taking a certification exam is allowed only to the graduates of accredited programs.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) offers 19 programs and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) 12 programs in Illinois.
Requirements
The future medical assistants may choose the ideal option among the three offered by the two most widely recognized accrediting organizations: the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
Each option has distinct advantages, meaning that a certificate is the shortest program, which lasts between 9 and 12 months and a diploma program lasts about a year or less.
Diploma coursework is transferable so that you can continue your education to an associate degree in medical assisting in the future.
The best option but at the same time, the most time consuming and demanding is an associate degree medical assistant program, which lasts about 2 years.
Yet, the benefits are great since it provides the most extensive study in the field.
A comprehensive medical assistant program prepares students to successfully take a certification examination and begin practicing as a skilled assistant.
The most widely recognized professional certifications for medical assistants in the U.S. are:
- Certified Medical Assistant, American Association of Medical Assistants
- The Registered Medical Assistant, American Medical Technologists
- National Center for Competency Testing: The National Certified Medical Assistant
- National Healthcare Association: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
- The American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants: Podiatric Medical Assistant, Certified
- The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel In Ophthalmology: Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
Getting a Job
Employers are more likely to hire medical assistants who have received training through an accredited medical assistant degree program as it ensures that once finishing the program students are capable of working without supervision and guidance.
If you have finished secondary education and want to look for a job as a medical assistant, it is advisable to first dedicate some time to educate yourself and get acquainted with the job requirements and then apply for the job.
Surely, your qualifications will increase the chances of being chosen among other candidates.
Medical assistants might find work in:
- Advocate Medical Group, Park Ridge
- Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood
- Northwest Medical Faculty Foundation, Chicago
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago
- Alexis Medical Center, Hoffman Estates
- University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago
- Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
Salary
Employers are more likely to hire medical assistants who have received training through an accredited medical assistant degree program as it ensures that once finishing the program students are capable of working without supervision and guidance.
The Illinois Department of Employment collects the data related to job prospects and salaries, so it showed that the average annual salary for medical assistants in the state of Illinois is approximately $ 34 124
The salary for this occupation ranges between $ 31 810 and $ 36 712 due to the geographic location of the facility, city’s development and annual income of its residents and well as the amount of work that the facility has.
Individual characteristics that affect the salary are level of education, experience, working hours and responsibilities.
The table below shows the salary of a medical assistant in the state of Illinois annually since it significantly varies from one city to another.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Arlington Heights,IL | $35,766 |
| Aurora,IL | $36,379 |
| Bloomington,IL | $32,921 |
| Bolingbrook,IL | $35,776 |
| Champaign,IL | $32,376 |
| Chicago,IL | $36,712 |
| Cicero,IL | $36,712 |
| Decatur,IL | $31,846 |
| Des Plaines,IL | $36,615 |
| Elgin,IL | $36,173 |
| Evanston,IL | $36,698 |
| Hoffman Estates,IL | $36,380 |
| Joliet,IL | $35,611 |
| Moline,IL | $31,818 |
| Mount Prospect,IL | $36,588 |
| Naperville,IL | $35,929 |
| Normal,IL | $33,076 |
| Oak Lawn,IL | $36,671 |
| Oak Park,IL | $36,712 |
| Orland Park,IL | $35,452 |
| Palatine,IL | $35,829 |
| Peoria,IL | $33,396 |
| Rock Island,IL | $31,845 |
| Rockford,IL | $34,607 |
| Schaumburg,IL | $36,306 |
| Skokie,IL | $36,698 |
| Springfield,IL | $31,810 |
| Tinley Park,IL | $35,356 |
| Waukegan,IL | $34,514 |
| Wheaton,IL | $36,010 |
Regional Salary in Illinois
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington, IL | 260 | $40,290 | $19.37 | $47,720 | $32,380 |
| Carbondale-Marion, IL | 320 | $38,500 | $18.51 | $46,520 | $30,770 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 750 | $41,270 | $19.84 | $47,580 | $34,300 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 16,210 | $44,200 | $21.25 | $54,870 | $35,280 |
| Danville, IL | 50 | $37,700 | $18.12 | $47,210 | $28,880 |
| Decatur, IL | 140 | $40,200 | $19.33 | $44,470 | $36,560 |
| Kankakee, IL | 270 | $41,450 | $19.93 | $44,460 | $35,030 |
| Peoria, IL | 730 | $40,660 | $19.55 | $46,080 | $35,640 |
| Rockford, IL | 890 | $41,490 | $19.95 | $46,470 | $36,810 |
| Springfield, IL | 820 | $40,150 | $19.3 | $44,890 | $33,800 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Duties
The medical assistant job entails various responsibilities and duties.
Medical assistants can be both unlicensed or licensed caregivers who work in doctors’ offices and clinics.
Each state determines what a medical assistant is allowed to do, so their tasks may vary from one state to another.
Usually, medical assistants are permitted to perform medical assisting tasks under the direct supervision of physicians.
Starting from providing information, services, and assistance to patients and physicians to securing medical records; maintaining medical supplies and keeping equipment operating, the daily duties of a medical assistant are demanding and responsible.
Medical assistants are the first to be met when entering a hospital or clinic and they interview patients, to confirm the purpose of visit and get acquainted with the patient’s medical history.
Their job also includes maintaining a safe, secure, and healthy work environment and scheduling appointments and surgeries.
More educated assistants prepare patients for examination, take blood pressure, weight, and temperature and counsels patients by transmitting physician’s orders and questions about surgery.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Medical Assistant
Medical Assisting by City
Medical Assisting by State