How to Become a Medical Assistant in Kansas

If you are still wondering what is the ideal career for you, but you like working with people and helping them, here you might find some reasons why you should decide on entering the medical assisting field.

First, a Medical Assistant career is developing and continues to be one of the fastest-growing careers which will lead to new job openings.

Then, it is a rewarding career as people who love to help and assist others by using their medical-related knowledge and competence find satisfaction in it.

Last, but not least, the post-secondary education for this job can be avoided if you do not want to spend time on further studying or can be achieved in less than a year.

Job Description

Medical assistants are people who we encounter first when entering a medical facility.

They welcome patients and gathering patient information related to the signs or symptoms as well as their medical history.

After the interview, they usually prepare patients for the examination by taking blood pressure, weight, and temperature.

During the examination, they assist the physician and once he/she finishes the examination, they advise patients by transmitting physician’s orders.

All in all, a medical assistant needs to be eager to constantly learn and advance in the medical field and be ready to face numerous challenges that can happen during the day.

Becoming a Medical Assistant in Kansas

A young person after finishing secondary education always asks himself/herself what occupation to choose.

If he/she is a well-organized person, full of knowledge of medical terms and procedures and at the same time wants to advance and improve the abilities and knowledge related to medical science, then he/she should consider getting involved in the responsible occupation of medical assistants.

Post-secondary education is offered through schools that are dedicated to learning their students everything they need to become successful medical assistants, a combination of formal education and hands-on training.

Future students can choose from two options, either to earn a certificate or diploma or to earn an associate degree, but they need to choose only form 617 programs accredited by CAAHEP and 358 programs accredited by ABHES.

They can also pick one of the additional 19 programs accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Personnel.

Requirements

Since employers in Kansas ask for three qualifications as requirements for hiring medical assistants, they should choose among completion of a medical assistant associate’s degree or certificate program, completion of a medical assistant national certification program or prior experience working as a medical assistant.

In Kansas, there are specialized certifications and medical assistant credentials.

One of them is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) which requires graduation from a medical assistant certification program accredited by Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and there are at least five such medical assistant schools in Kansas.

Here, the future medical assistants can get a diploma or certificate in a year or so, and learn how to collect medical specimens, measure patients’ vital signs, and do laboratory testing among many other things.

The accredited associations who offer these kinds of programs are:

• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) – this credential is offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants(AAMA)
• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – this credential is offered by the American Medical Technologists (AMT)
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – this credential is offered through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
• Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA) – this credential is offered by the National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP)
• Medical Assistant (NCMA) – this credential is sponsored by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)

Getting a Job

The healthcare professionals in Kansas are in constant demand, thus improving the chances of finding suitable employment.

What is even better is the fact that the need for medical assistants will be growing in the future.

Since most states do not require formal training and education to become a medical assistant there is also a demand for job new opportunities.

That is why those people who possess more than just a high school diploma can become medical assistants more easily since employers respect educated individuals ready to handle all the duties once entering the clinic.

When it comes to Kansas, numerous employers are searching for new candidates that would be appropriate for the job.

Medical assistants may look for job opportunities in:

• The Anderson County Hospital in Garnett
• Providence Medical Group in Kansas City
• Saint Francis Health in Topeka
• The Via Christi Clinic in Wichita

Salary

When applying for the job, all the applicants have equal chances, but who will be chosen depends only on the doctor and his/her staff.

Certified candidates are always given priority because doctors can rely on self-confident medical assistants able to immediately start working since a higher amount of work increases the responsibilities.

That is why those that are not educated to become certified cannot expect to have the same salary as the licensed ones so medical assistants can greatly improve their earning potentials by getting experience and education before entering the field.

Medical assistants employed across the state are earning an average annual salary of $ 32 221.

The table below shows the salary of a medical assistant in the state of Kansas annually since it significantly varies from one city to another.

Regional Salary in Kansas

Duties

The possible duties of a medical assistant are versatile.

Whether they will be performing only medical or both medical and clerical duties depends on the size of the facility.

In some of them, they might be asked to administer diagnostic tests and prepare patients for procedures that are usually entrusted to certified assistants.

On the other, those less educated are just asked to help taking medical history during a conversation with the patient, answering telephone calls and cooperating with other related medical facilities.

In smaller premises, it is not important whether they are eager to advance their knowledge or not, medical assistants are performing both administrative duties such as greeting patients and collecting the data about their health, scheduling appointments, and surgeries and dealing with billing and bookkeeping, as well as clinical duties, including preparing patients for examination or surgery and assisting the doctor during both the examination and intervention.

Medical Assisting by City

Medical Assisting by State