How to Become a Medical Assistant in New Hampshire

have always dreamed of becoming a healthcare person ready to help people in need, but you did not have a chance to enter a university or could not afford further education than the medical assisting vocation might be ideal for you.

However, to decide whether becoming a medical assistant or not, it is important to go through all the education requirements, responsibilities and duties that this occupation entails and only then take the first steps to begin a new career as a medical assistant.

Job Description

The job of a medical assistant is not naïve at all, and your personal qualities and skills must be by the duties that this job involves.

First and foremost, to effectively do the job, you need to care about helping other people and get job satisfaction from it.

Doing this job only to get the salary would not bring you satisfaction which leads to stagnation, and this is not acceptable in this career.

You also need to be organized and efficient, calm and multi-tasker, able to collect specimens and prepare them for the lab, provide patient education about health and wellness, draw blood samples and administer medication to a patient among many other duties.

Becoming a Medical Assistant in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is one of those states that do not license medical assistants, but most employers require at least some kind of further education or experience in the medical field.

Education and training are available in various community colleges, vocational schools, technical schools, and private career training schools but only some of them are accredited and offer you eligibility for passing a certification n exam.

Classroom learning involves lessons related to anatomy and physiology, laboratory and students learn skills such as taking vital signs, administering EKGs, and drawing blood samples.

After getting lessons, they are enrolled in internships or externships, where they work in an actual healthcare facility and practice their newly-learned skills before graduation.

This is not the end of education, since even though, national certification is not required for New Hampshire medical assistants, many of the students decide to sit for and pass the national certification exam.

This is only because employers may prefer to hire job applicants who have received medical assistant training and have certification.

Requirements

Which of the possible paths for becoming a medical assistant you would take depends on your aspirations and goals.

You can either take a post-secondary training program at school or vocational college or enroll in an online program.

However, bear in mind that they need to be accredited by CAAHEP and ABHES, to be able to sit for a national certification exam upon graduation.

Going to school to study for a medical assistant certificate, diploma or degree gives you the chance of learning everything you need to be employed as a medical assistant.

The duration may differ but once finished you will be able to find your place in a medical assistant position in New Hampshire without too many difficulties.

The accredited associations who offer these kinds of programs are:

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in:
  • Berlin
  • Claremont
  • Manchester

• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) in Manchester.

You can take the following classes:

• Introduction to Psychology
• Medical Law and Ethics
• Insurance for the Medical Office
• Medical Office Procedures
• Medical Terminology
• Human Body
• Introduction to Pharmacology
• Phlebotomy
• Practicum

The practicum can be done in:

• Family Care of Concord- Concord
• Frisbie Memorial Hospital – Rochester
• Lamprey Health Care – Nashua
• Ledgewood Bay Assisted Living and Memory Care – Milford
• Catholic Medical Center – Manchester
• Wentworth-Douglas Hospital – Dover
• Pleasant Street Family Medicine – Concord
• Huggins Hospital – Wolfeboro
• Southern New Hampshire Medical Center – Nashua
• Littleton Regional Healthcare- Littleton

You do not need to become nationally certified to work as a medical assistant in New Hampshire, but medical assistants employers are usually looking for credentialed candidates.

You can pass the CMA Certification/Recertification Exam in Concord, NH, and Portsmouth, NH and receive your certificate.

Getting a Job

The job outlook for medical assistants is strong and the need for their skills can never diminish.

So, the employment of medical assistants is projected to grow which leads to new job opportunities.

It is a rewarding profession and employment prospects look good since there are numerous facilities where they can work.

If you are above all a certified medical assistant, then you might have a chance to choose among many employers and decide which one suits you best.

Medical assistants may look for job opportunities in hospitals, physicians’ offices, outpatient clinics and private practices throughout New Hampshire.

Salary

As in any other profession, the salaries of medical assistants can differ across the state.

The amount of money earned is determined by the development of the region where the facility is located, the average income of its residents and the pay scale offered by the employer.

When personal characteristics are in question, a medical assistant with higher education, long experience, and more demanding responsibilities should expect to be better paid.

In New Hampshire, the salary ranges from $ 35 214 in Rochester up to $37 430 in Merrimack and Nashua.

The table below shows average salaries for medical assistants in major cities of New Hampshire, presenting the difference from one place to another:

Regional Salary in New Hampshire

Duties

When it comes to the daily duties of a medical assistant, they have the responsibility of performing many tasks at once.

Not only do they need to take patients’ vital signs, complete medical histories, and perform routine administrative tasks, but also they need to work with doctors and other healthcare staff.

The Medical Assistant Position Statement by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing specifies that medical assistants may perform medication administration, suture removal and phone screening of patients to collect demographic data and document symptoms under the supervision of a licensed nurse, but cannot administer narcotics, controlled substances and conduct telephone triage of patients to determine urgency and complexity of conditions.

Some other duties are:

• Drawing blood
• Preparing patients for examination
• Assist physicians during examination
• Schedule appointments
• Arrange laboratory services and hospital admissions by telephone, etc.

Summary

Deciding on your future career is an important process, so you should think well before determining whether medical assisting is a good fit for you.

Medical Assisting by City

Medical Assisting by State