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If you want to become a medical assistant, have a desire to help ill and wounded people and cooperate in their health improvement, but do not know anything about laboratory techniques, taking vital signs and how to administer medication and have never dealt with administration and paperwork, insurance forms and billings, then you should first take into consideration the continuing of your education in the related college or vocational schools, so as to get your professional qualifications.
A medical assistant job is such a responsible vocation that it should be taken seriously.
Article Table of Contents
Job Description
Medical assistants can be unlicensed individuals working under the supervision of a licensed physician.
They usually do technical support services, assist in managing the care of clients, are responsible for performing duties related to office management and collecting and processing laboratory specimens.
They can work with a licensed physician and surgeon, podiatrist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse-midwife in a medical office or clinic setting.
Medical assistants are vital members of the healthcare team and they need to possesses exceptional patient-care skills and a strong command of medical procedures and terminology.
They need to be detail-oriented in recording patients’ personal information and medical history and highly-motivated to work efficiently in a team, as well as individually.
Becoming a Medical Assistant in Texas
Even though the medical assistant profession in Texas is not regulated by legislation and does not require special education to perform this job, the future medical assistants decide to enter the programs that prepare students to work as entry-level health care providers.
People with competitive qualifications get numerous benefits from this education, like higher employment opportunities, chances of higher salary and advancement in the future career in comparison to those without them.
Medical assistant employers in Texas can assign only some of the duties to unlicensed medical assistants and must supervise them and maintain responsibility for all tasks performed.
That is why individual employers establish their preferred qualifications for hire.
There are three places in Texas which you can choose and enter to achieve more advanced education and a diploma in 8 months:
Requirements
The law does not determine the educational requirements, but people who possess a certification are certainly able to perform the job more successfully and have greater self-confidence when working as medical assistants which are appreciated by the state and the employers.
Medical assistant qualifications that are compulsory at most facilities are:
- Experience
- The finished medical assistant training program
- Graduation from a medical assistant school
- And credentials: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) and Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA)
The accredited associations who offer these kinds of programs are:
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
The curriculum includes the classes related to:
- Psychology
- Medical Law and Ethics
- Insurance
- Medical Office Procedures
- Medical Terminology
- Human Body
- Pharmacology
The duration of the courses may differ.
The successful completion of the courses results in eligibility to take the national certification exam for medical assisting and the possibility to earn more advanced degrees in medical science fields.
Also, you will be able to find your place in a medical assistant position in Texas without too many difficulties.
Getting a Job
There are plenty of opportunities to find a certified medical assistant job position and you should always highlight your patient care education and experience and administrative skills.
The great thing is that the national certification can help you find a medical assisting job quicker and make your salary higher.
Medical assistant jobs continue to grow due to the continuous demand for new healthcare facilities which will provide help to old and ill people.
In Texas, the information provided by the Texas Society of Medical Assistants (TSMA) can help you find a myriad of job opportunities.
Medical assistants may look for job opportunities in:
- Pediatric Health Center in Fort Wort
- Mainland Primary Care in Texas City
- North Austin Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- The Community Action Corporation of South Texas
- The North Central Baptist Hospital in San Antonio
Salary
The average medical assistant salary in Texas is approximately $ 30 880.
As employers prefer medical assistants who are certified, they pay them higher starting salaries.
There are job openings from employers like United States Army, Baylor Health Care System, and DaVita and the employer determines the salary of his/her medical assistants.
Personal qualifications, education, and experience can also make an impact on the salary.
The lowest-paid medical assistants earned $29 696 in Mcallen, while the highest-paid earned $35 264 in Pasadena or $ 35 393 in Houston.
The table below shows average salaries for medical assistants in major cities of Texas, presenting the difference from one place to another:
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Abilene,TX | $31,491 |
| Amarillo,TX | $31,664 |
| Arlington,TX | $33,591 |
| Austin,TX | $34,012 |
| Beaumont,TX | $33,283 |
| Brownsville,TX | $30,421 |
| Carrollton,TX | $34,207 |
| Corpus Christi,TX | $31,954 |
| Dallas,TX | $34,299 |
| Denton,TX | $33,686 |
| El Paso,TX | $30,202 |
| Fort Worth,TX | $33,646 |
| Frisco,TX | $33,836 |
| Galveston,TX | $33,894 |
| Garland,TX | $34,225 |
| Grand Prairie,TX | $34,225 |
| Harlingen,TX | $30,265 |
| Houston,TX | $35,393 |
| Irving,TX | $34,299 |
| Killeen,TX | $31,056 |
| Laredo,TX | $30,549 |
| Longview,TX | $31,163 |
| Lubbock,TX | $30,065 |
| Mcallen,TX | $29,696 |
| Mckinney,TX | $34,023 |
| Mesquite,TX | $34,262 |
| Midland,TX | $29,789 |
| Odessa,TX | $29,789 |
| Pasadena,TX | $35,264 |
| Plano,TX | $34,152 |
| Port Arthur,TX | $32,641 |
| Richardson,TX | $34,225 |
| Round Rock,TX | $33,883 |
| San Antonio,TX | $33,632 |
| Temple,TX | $31,091 |
| Waco,TX | $31,025 |
| Wichita Falls,TX | $31,529 |
Regional Salary in Texas
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene, TX | 430 | $35,460 | $17.05 | $42,660 | $29,350 |
| Amarillo, TX | 650 | $35,140 | $16.9 | $43,810 | $27,800 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 5,500 | $43,270 | $20.8 | $47,880 | $35,860 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 800 | $36,440 | $17.52 | $45,340 | $29,160 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 1,110 | $31,940 | $15.36 | $37,440 | $24,450 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 820 | $36,920 | $17.75 | $44,490 | $29,310 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 1,110 | $35,820 | $17.22 | $43,440 | $29,230 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 17,280 | $40,560 | $19.5 | $47,440 | $34,840 |
| El Paso, TX | 1,980 | $33,280 | $16 | $40,120 | $26,180 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 15,820 | $40,670 | $19.55 | $48,420 | $30,940 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 690 | $37,420 | $17.99 | $44,680 | $29,090 |
| Laredo, TX | 520 | $31,950 | $15.36 | $39,190 | $25,680 |
| Longview, TX | 620 | $35,270 | $16.96 | $42,840 | $28,140 |
| Lubbock, TX | 750 | $34,620 | $16.65 | $42,910 | $27,600 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 2,670 | $30,700 | $14.76 | $37,000 | $24,020 |
| Midland, TX | 460 | $40,900 | $19.66 | $45,980 | $34,400 |
| Odessa, TX | 310 | $38,730 | $18.62 | $46,230 | $32,660 |
| San Angelo, TX | 240 | $36,410 | $17.51 | $43,020 | $29,290 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 7,410 | $38,600 | $18.56 | $44,570 | $31,520 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 360 | $38,120 | $18.33 | $47,360 | $30,600 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 270 | $34,150 | $16.42 | $42,480 | $28,270 |
| Tyler, TX | 730 | $36,370 | $17.49 | $43,830 | $29,770 |
| Victoria, TX | 160 | $35,980 | $17.3 | $42,440 | $28,810 |
| Waco, TX | 570 | $36,900 | $17.74 | $43,850 | $29,170 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 350 | $36,040 | $17.33 | $43,400 | $29,090 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Duties
The daily duties of medical assistants, no matter whether they work in smaller or larger clinics are:
- Taking patient histories and vital signs
- Performing first aid and CPR
- Preparing patients for examination and surgery
- Assisting physicians with treatments
- Scheduling appointments
- Maintaining medical records
- Doing secretarial duties, such as handling telephone inquiries and written correspondence
However, the division of these tasks among two or more medical assistants depends on the facility’s amount of work and number of employees.
The level of education, skillfulness and training limits and reduces the number of possible duties that can be individually performed by the medical assistant and that is the reason why employers look for a certified person when hiring who will be able to manage all of them.
Summary
Believe it or not, education is of the utmost importance for medical assistants and the lack of legal educational requirements regulation does not mean that medical assistants are unqualified or unskilled.
Medical assisting schools and national certification enable you to do different tasks since programs have lessons in the classroom, as well as laboratory work.
Those who possess a strong knowledge of medical terminology and can perform well in this role, as they often have to help doctors with medical procedures are the priceless staff of any healthcare facility.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Medical Assistant
Medical Assisting by City
Medical Assisting by State