What Is the Next Level After Medical Assistant?

Now that you’ve become a Medical Assistant, you might be wondering: What is the next level after Medical Assistant? The answer is very circumstantial, as it depends on the individual, their goals, and their needs. More often than not, though, Medical Assisting can serve as a lifelong career or a great jumping-off point for other healthcare careers.

Medical Assistant Programs

For those that don’t know, let’s start with Medical Assistant training and what that might entail. Formal education can include classroom instruction as well as online classes. Some MA programs can even be completed in a year or less. If you’d like to change your career but do not want to spend years in school, you might want to consider the Medical Assistant program at Unitek College. It can be completed in as little as 9 months!

Overall, MA programs tend to utilize a combination of traditional learning as well as applied training. It’s also important to note that some programs offer classes during the day or the evening, which would allow you to work while you attend school. In addition, some programs also provide online instruction. If you’re curious about Medical Assistant courses, they typically include medical terminology, medical office procedures, medical and clinical procedures, basic anatomy and physiology, and other special duties that are common in the field.

Medical Assistant Certification

Once you’ve completed a Medical Assistant program, you may want to seek certification. If that’s the case, you’ll need to consider the type of certification you’d like to earn. Two of the most common types of Medical Assistant certifications are the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential. Typically, your Medical Assistant program can help you pursue certification.

For instance, graduates of Unitek’s MA program may be qualified to take several certification exams. These include the NCCT exam for the National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) credential and the American Medical Technologists (AMT) to earn the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential. While these credentials are not a graduation requirement at Unitek, they may be of value depending on your career goals. Of course, faculty members are available to advise students seeking such certifications.

Specialties and Other Healthcare Careers

As we stated earlier, Medical Assisting can be a great jumping-off point for other careers. This is largely because of the training, exposure, and networking opportunities that you will likely receive.

An article by All Allied Health Schools reported the following statistics:

+ 84% of Medical Assistants said they had constant contact with others.
+ 74% said teamwork was extremely important.
+ 75% said it was extremely important to be exact or accurate.
+ 83% said they talk on the phone every day.

As you can see, communication and exposure are big parts of the job. If you’re curious about medical specialties, there are various types of Medical Assistants. These include but are not limited to ophthalmic Medical Assistants (ophthalmology deals with the eye), podiatric Medical Assistants (podiatry has to do with feet), OB-GYN Medical Assistants (OB-GYN revolves around women’s health), and chiropractic Medical Assistants (chiropractic focuses on mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system).

Additionally, some Medical Assistants go on to pursue training for other healthcare careers. These can include occupations like certified nursing assistants or vocational nurses. Both would require more schooling, but your experience as a Medical Assistant would provide a good basis for your future. It would also allow you to practice in the field while contemplating the specialty or long-term career that suits you best.