Certified Medical Assistants in California
A wide variety of health care facilities, including clinics and hospitals, are always headhunting medical assistants. As a result, becoming a certified medical assistant or CMA will make you a part of one of the most rapidly expanding professions in America. For those living in California and considering a change in what they do for a living, one thing to consider is becoming a CMA. A requirement for such a change, however, is to take a certified medical assistant program.
The vast majority of community colleges and other technical colleges in California will offer an accredited program for those hoping to become medical assistants. In fact, California has its own professional association the provides programs for developing skills called the California Medical Assistants Association. It is dedicated to training medical assistants and helping them to upgrade their skills to encompass new technologies.
There are a total of 11,000 medical assistants in California that are under the umbrella of the CMAA. Among these are a wide array of different skills and specialties, including medical assistants who focus more on the administrative part of the profession and those who focus on the clinical (plus those who do both). The majority of members of the CMAA work either in medical institutions, in insurance companies, or even in training other medical assistants.
The goal of the CMAA is to improve the quality of work from medical assistants, help them improve their own careers and to train them both in new medical and also administrative tasks. Like many professional associations, they have a magazine for their members.
The vast majority of community colleges and other technical colleges in California will offer an accredited program for those hoping to become medical assistants. In fact, California has its own professional association the provides programs for developing skills called the California Medical Assistants Association. It is dedicated to training medical assistants and helping them to upgrade their skills to encompass new technologies.
There are a total of 11,000 medical assistants in California that are under the umbrella of the CMAA. Among these are a wide array of different skills and specialties, including medical assistants who focus more on the administrative part of the profession and those who focus on the clinical (plus those who do both). The majority of members of the CMAA work either in medical institutions, in insurance companies, or even in training other medical assistants.
The goal of the CMAA is to improve the quality of work from medical assistants, help them improve their own careers and to train them both in new medical and also administrative tasks. Like many professional associations, they have a magazine for their members.
Job Description
The roles that medical assistants in California perform can be quite different, and can change based on the size of the practice or hospital they are in and the kind of specialists they are working with. The medical assistant job description includes: acting as a receptionist, speaking on phones, dealing with insurance companies, setting up the physicians' schedules, coordinating with hospitals and laboratories, writing correspondence, dealing with medical records, billing patients and taking care of finances. In addition, there are a number of clinical tasks that a CMA can perform, but these are restricted by California law. In California, a medical assistant can perform some laboratory tests, sterilize instruments and dispose of medical waste. In addition, they have roles of helping patients understand how to take medication and use diets, give medication themselves, give some refills on prescriptions (including on the telephone to a pharmacy), take blood (phlebotomy), do ECGs, remove bandages and prepare patients for visual tests like X-rays.
Currently, becoming a medical assistant will make you a part of one of the most rapidly expanding jobs in California and the medical assistant salary is quite competitive. If you are considering joining an exciting and well-paying new field, it is certainly work a look.
Currently, becoming a medical assistant will make you a part of one of the most rapidly expanding jobs in California and the medical assistant salary is quite competitive. If you are considering joining an exciting and well-paying new field, it is certainly work a look.
