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You do not know what is necessary in order to become a medical assistant and what waits for you after being hired as one, but you are interested in helping people in need and want to get the steady job that will earn you enough money for the future, then you should definitely continue reading and get acquainted with both educational and job requirements.
Article Table of Contents
Job Description
A medical assistant job is not at all naïve and the challenges that these job entails are serious.
Considering it a very stable career with a decent salary, numerous people want to become medical assistants without even thinking about the difficulties that this job is followed with.
Medical assistants are links between doctor and patient.
When it comes to clerical duties, they make physician appointments, greet patients and take them to examine rooms, keep patient records and prepare insurance claims.
Their medical duties include taking patient vital signs, measuring temperature and weigh, drawing blood, etc.
So, the job of a medical assistant involves myriad tasks and the medical facility’s perfect functioning is entrusted to them.
Becoming a Medical Assistant in Ohio
As in many other states, the state of Ohio does not demand formal education for becoming medical assistants but still has certain regulations regarding the types of tasks that professionals may delegate to medical assistants.
Those can be tasks that medical assistants are competent to perform, which does not require the exercise of medical judgment and the medical assistant must be able to safely perform it.
They must not result in harming the patient.
That is when education comes into play.
Medical assistants can improve their knowledge, responsibilities, and salary by studying to become a certified medical assistant at a medical assistant school.
Further education is really useful and beneficial as the improvement of medical care forces employers to hire graduates of accredited programs since the applicants with a diploma already know to perform daily duties.
Requirements
The education in medical assisting can be achieved at various schools and programs, but it is important to choose a medical assistant program that is accredited by Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
It is a great thing that there are at least 60 medical assistant schools in Ohio with accreditation.
During those programs, classes that you attend are based on the curriculum specially designed to ensure that students who graduate will be familiar with all the concepts that they might encounter upon hiring.
They deal with:
- Infection control and surgical procedures
- Written and oral communication
- Health insurance
- Clinical laboratory procedures
- Assisting with nutrition and medications
- Anatomy and physiology, just to mention a few.
People interested in further education and employment might become members of the Ohio State Society of Medical Assistants (OSSMA) where they can find all the information.
The accredited associations who offer these kinds of programs are:
- Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) – offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)
- Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – offered by American Medical Technologists (AMT)
- Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), to earn the CCMA you must pass the CCMA Exam.
- National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) – offered by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)
- Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA) – offered by the National Association of Health Professionals(NAHP)
Getting a Job
There are many places where a medical assistant can find work and more and more types of medical facilities will be created in the years to come.
They can look for jobs in hospitals, trauma centers, doctors’ offices, private clinics, adult daycare centers and should not worry about their future, as the need for this profession can never stop.
The medical assistant job typically only requires a high school diploma.
Nevertheless, it is good to know that the priority is given to those candidates who have a diploma or associate’s degree and that is determined by the employer.
The people with a certificate are considered more skillful and knowledgeable to start performing their duties without the need to be previously thought and trained at the spot.
Having in mind the fact that job offers are all around the state of Ohio, it should not be difficult to reach the appropriate employment.
Salary
There are currently numerous job offerings in Ohio, and the demand for novice medical assistants might affect the rise of the annual salary.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio’s medical assistants’ annual salary is $27,980 for entry-level medical assistants, while their colleagues with more experience and certification earn the highest salaries which can reach up to $ 34 357.
Salaries vary according to location, additional training and qualifications, experience and work setting, but they are high enough to cover all the responsibilities that the medical assistant has to deal with.
The table below shows average salaries for medical assistants in major cities of Ohio, presenting the difference from one place to another:
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Akron,OH | $33,152 |
| Canton,OH | $32,976 |
| Chillicothe,OH | $31,940 |
| Cincinnati,OH | $33,767 |
| Cleveland,OH | $34,357 |
| Columbus,OH | $34,064 |
| Cuyahoga Falls,OH | $33,152 |
| Dayton,OH | $33,566 |
| Elyria,OH | $33,287 |
| Euclid,OH | $34,330 |
| Hamilton,OH | $33,629 |
| Lakewood,OH | $34,357 |
| Lima,OH | $32,596 |
| Lorain,OH | $33,622 |
| Mansfield,OH | $33,163 |
| Middletown,OH | $33,428 |
| Newark,OH | $33,857 |
| Portsmouth,OH | $31,526 |
| Springfield,OH | $32,941 |
| Toledo,OH | $33,390 |
| Youngstown,OH | $32,734 |
Regional Salary in Ohio
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron, OH | 1,280 | $39,730 | $19.1 | $47,050 | $31,680 |
| Canton-Massillon, OH | 690 | $37,550 | $18.05 | $45,640 | $29,570 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 4,160 | $41,500 | $19.95 | $48,740 | $33,840 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 3,570 | $39,930 | $19.2 | $48,150 | $30,290 |
| Columbus, OH | 4,530 | $40,840 | $19.63 | $46,630 | $33,760 |
| Dayton, OH | 1,410 | $40,650 | $19.55 | $48,000 | $33,710 |
| Lima, OH | 360 | $39,510 | $18.99 | $48,670 | $29,860 |
| Mansfield, OH | 230 | $37,020 | $17.8 | $44,720 | $29,190 |
| Springfield, OH | 250 | $37,430 | $18 | $45,520 | $31,140 |
| Toledo, OH | 1,360 | $39,810 | $19.14 | $46,910 | $30,940 |
| Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA | 1,120 | $34,750 | $16.71 | $42,300 | $26,580 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Duties
When you go through the information related to medical assistant daily duties, there is always something about the administration.
That should not confuse you since a clinic or a hospital is not only a medical facility, but the business as well, so this proves the fact that the medical assistant needs to be so effective and skillful to manage the handling of everything from patient care to insurance billing.
The obligations of people working there are versatile and they largely depend on the practice specialty.
Medical assistants might be asked to draw blood, monitor vital signs, or fill the patient charts, answer phones, and schedule appointments.
Summary
Because there is a high level of demand for medical assistants, the future is bright for them.
The more professional qualifications and education that you achieve, the greater are your chances of moving up the career ladder to more advanced positions and better salaries.
In the end, all the invested effort, time and renunciations bring you benefits and success.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Medical Assistant
Medical Assisting by City
Medical Assisting by State