by 
Young people often think about their future and do not know how to decide which occupation to choose.
Some of them try with the jobs that they love doing, others are looking for a job that will earn them enough money, while some are looking for the easier job possible.
If you are fond of helping people and working with them, and at the same time ready to accept a reasonable salary which covers all the responsibilities then the medical assistant career is the perfect way for you to get into the medical field.
This vocation can become a fulfilling, lifelong, encouraging, inspiring and very rewarding career.
Article Table of Contents
Job Description
If you start getting deeper into the duties of medical assistants, you can see that they are focused on helping others.
No matter if those are physicians in their practice during surgeries and examination, other healthcare professionals while doing interventions or the patients themselves, the normal daily functioning of a medical premise relies on them.
The administrative obligations include keeping and updating patient histories, answering their questions, instructing patients on how to take medication prescribed by the physicians and solving their problems related to understanding the medical procedures.
They are the first and major links between the patient and other members of the healthcare team.
Becoming a Medical Assistant in Massachusetts
No laws are determining that medical assistants in Massachusetts must possess a specific level of training as long as they work under the direct supervision of physicians.
However, serious issues cannot be entrusted to the assistants who did not pass education related to medical science.
That is why numerous people decide to select one of the programs accredited by The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and get the chance of taking the certification exam.
Regardless of the certificate or degree, you want to get, a medical assistant program in Massachusetts is dedicated to preparing students for medical assistant positions providing them education, training, and experience through lessons like:
- Patient education
- Medical law
- Pharmacology
- Medication administration
- First aid and CPR
- EKG testing
- Clinical and diagnostic procedures
- Laboratory techniques
- Medical terminology
- Human anatomy, pathology, and physiology.
Requirements
Employers in Massachusetts look to retain job candidates with specialized training and education accredited either by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
To become a CMA, you must graduate from an accredited program and at a school-approved clinical site you will need to apply the knowledge you have learned in your medical assistant program and you must pass the CMA Certification/Recertification Exam.
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) offers Certificate – Medical Assisting and Associate of Science- Medical Assisting.
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) offers Certificate – Professional Medical Assistant, Diploma – Medical Assisting, Diploma- Professional Medical Assisting and Associate of Science – Health Studies
The most widely recognized professional certifications for medical assistants in the U.S. are:
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in:
- West Barnstable
- Fall River
- North Adams
- Canton
- Gardner
- Lowell
- Danvers
- Lawrence
- West Boylston
- Worcester
- Springfield
- South Easton
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) in:
- Boston
- Taunton
- Springfield
- Malden
- Chicopee
- Westborough
- Canton
- New Bedford
- Fall River
Getting a Job
The opening of new clinics and medical offices will lack educated medical assistants for clerical and medical duties, regarding the fact that the employer tends to look for only those with credentials.
The job prospects are expected to grow and certified individuals can be relieved since they will certainly have priority over the unlicensed ones when applying for a job.
The training through an accredited medical assistant degree program ensures employers that students are capable of working without supervision and guidance.
So, if you have already dedicated some time to educate yourself and get acquainted with the job requirements then you should apply for the job in Massachusetts’s clinics and hospitals.
Medical assistants might find work in:
- South Shore Hospital-South Weymouth
- Manet Community Health Center – Quincy
- Tufts Medical Center – Boston
- Signature Healthcare – Brockton
- Boston Medical Center – Boston
- GK Dermatology, PC – Weymouth
- Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates – Quincy
- Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics – Westwood
- About Women By Women – Wellesley
- Brigham & Women’s Faulkner Hospital- Boston
- Harbor Health Services – Hyannis
- UMass Memorial Medical Center – Worcester
- Hallmark Health System – Medford
- Lowell Community Health Center – Lowell
Salary
In addition to great job prospects, medical assistants in Massachusetts might expect high salaries as well.
The average annual salary of a Massachusetts medical assistant is $ 35 600.
Being the fastest-growing occupation, it is expected that the annual salary of medical assistants might rise even more.
Medical assistants in Pittsfield earn the lowest salary of $ 35 109 while their colleagues in Brookline and Boston get up to $ 39 203 annually.
As in any other occupation, some industries offer higher average salaries than others and the geographic location of the facility, the city’s development and annual income of its residents may also affect it.
The table below shows the salary of a medical assistant in the state of Massachusetts annually since it significantly varies from one city to another.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Arlington,MA | $39,203 |
| Attleboro,MA | $36,498 |
| Barnstable,MA | $36,343 |
| Boston,MA | $39,203 |
| Brockton,MA | $37,325 |
| Brookline,MA | $39,203 |
| Cambridge,MA | $39,203 |
| Chicopee,MA | $36,015 |
| Fall River,MA | $36,325 |
| Fitchburg,MA | $36,855 |
| Framingham,MA | $37,644 |
| Haverhill,MA | $36,532 |
| Holyoke,MA | $36,015 |
| Hyannis,MA | $36,212 |
| Lawrence,MA | $36,532 |
| Leominster,MA | $36,211 |
| Lowell,MA | $37,566 |
| Lynn,MA | $39,203 |
| Malden,MA | $39,203 |
| Medford,MA | $39,203 |
| Methuen,MA | $36,532 |
| New Bedford,MA | $36,325 |
| Newton,MA | $39,203 |
| Peabody,MA | $39,157 |
| Pittsfield,MA | $35,109 |
| Plymouth,MA | $37,117 |
| Quincy,MA | $39,203 |
| Revere,MA | $39,203 |
| Salem,MA | $39,157 |
| Somerville,MA | $39,203 |
| Springfield,MA | $36,015 |
| Taunton,MA | $37,290 |
| Waltham,MA | $39,203 |
| Westfield,MA | $36,015 |
| Weymouth,MA | $37,325 |
| Worcester,MA | $36,291 |
Regional Salary in Massachusetts
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Town, MA | 450 | $47,800 | $22.98 | $56,930 | $38,400 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH | 11,910 | $49,440 | $23.77 | $59,930 | $39,390 |
| Leominster-Gardner, MA | 250 | $47,300 | $22.74 | $58,010 | $37,920 |
| New Bedford, MA | 450 | $44,520 | $21.4 | $55,470 | $35,580 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 180 | $44,720 | $21.5 | $49,750 | $37,500 |
| Springfield, MA-CT | 1,860 | $45,710 | $21.98 | $53,540 | $37,620 |
| Worcester, MA-CT | 1,220 | $47,790 | $22.98 | $59,280 | $38,480 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Duties
The medical assistant job entails various responsibilities and duties and both unlicensed and licensed caregivers work in doctors’ offices and clinics.
According to the laws of each state, it is determining what a medical assistant is allowed to do.
Usually, medical assistants can do medical assisting tasks under the direct supervision of physicians, they can provide information, services, and assistance to patients and physicians, maintain medical supplies and equipment operating.
Licensed assistants prepare patients for examination, take blood pressure, weight, and temperature and counsel patients by transmitting physician’s orders and questions about surgery.
So, their daily duties are demanding and responsible, and at the same time exciting and challenging.
Summary
After completion of your high school, young people should think about the future career of medical assistant, since it is a stable one with constant job opportunities.
What is even more positive is that there is and always will be a need for their abilities.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Medical Assistant
Medical Assisting by City
Medical Assisting by State