If you are interested in working in the medical field but feel overwhelmed by the thought of going to medical school, getting started as a medical assistant may be the best career choice for you. Get excited with these 10 exciting places where medical assistants work after graduation!
Medical assistants are needed in every hospital or doctor’s office, but there are also many other exciting places that medical assistants can work after graduation. If this sounds like the career path for you but are unsure of where medical assistants can work after graduation, check out the list below for some inspiration!
First Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Medical Clinic
The most popular place to work for medical assistants is to work at a medical clinic/ physician’s office. In fact, over 50% of medical assistants choose to work at a medical clinic in the US. Often, medical clinics provide routine general care or check-ups for patients that regularly visit for their health needs as opposed to hospitals where patients visit for more specific purposes.
Second Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Medical Research Center
If you are looking for more of a research-related career, working in a medical research center may be the career path for you. Medical research centers are used to conduct tests, clinical trials, and general research for medicine. The role of medical assistants in these clinics is to do clinical tasks for the physicians conducting these tests, which includes collecting samples from patients, administering tests, and inputting patient information. In this role, medical assistants interact less with patients and more with the physicians conducting the research.
Third Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Retirement Facility
One of the most in-demand jobs for medical assistants right now is working in a retirement home or assisted living facility. While most of the time, medical assistants will not be providing clinical services, there are times where medical services are required for the people that live in these facilities.
Since most of the people living in these homes are elderly, the main role of a medical assistant in retirement facilities is to provide assistance by helping residents get around, helping with daily hygiene, and making sure they take all of their medications.
Fourth Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Insurance Providers
Insurance companies sometimes need a medical assistant on staff to help with insurance claims. This role is not necessarily involved with patients or other doctors but is more of an administrative position in which you will be inputting data and working with medical billing offices.
Fifth Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Emergency Departments
Emergency departments are located in almost every hospital and some physician’s offices or outpatient centers. In addition to supporting the medical staff, medical assistants in emergency departments typically are responsible for getting information from the patient and doing tasks like taking vitals. Emergency departments are high-stress areas so medical assistants in this role should be able to operate well under pressure.
Sixth Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Diagnostic Laboratory
Many people need lab tests done for a variety of reasons. Diagnostic labs are able to provide clinical testing on samples from blood, urine, and other body tissues for a variety of reasons such as biopsies, drug testing, or antibody tests.
This role is both administrative and clinical as medical assistants are typically administering the tests.
Seventh Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Chiropractor Office
Similar to physician’s offices, chiropractors’ offices tend to have recurring patients that come in for routine checkups and services. Patients tend to visit chiropractors for spine realignments, exercise help or physical therapy, and general check-ups as they relate to the spine.
Since most chiropractors do not provide clinical procedures, the majority of tasks related to this job are administrative.
Eighth Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Pediatric Clinics
Pediatric clinics are in almost every hospital and physician’s office, therefore many of your job duties are going to be similar to what you would do in those roles except that you will only be working with children. This is a great career opportunity for those that enjoy working with children as it requires a lot of patience to work with children in a medical setting. This job also requires strong communication skills because you will need to effectively communicate with both parents and children.
Ninth Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Hospital
About 15% of medical assistants work in hospitals, making it the second-highest employer of medical assistants in the US. Given the nature of hospitals, medical assistants can expect a variety of different tasks day over day, also with a varying schedule since hospitals are open 24/7. Like many other roles on this list, medical assistants in hospitals will be tasked with both administrative and clinical work, however, you will likely rarely have the same patients and will always have new tasks.
Tenth Place Where Medical Assistants Work:
Outpatient Care
Outpatient centers are medical facilities in which the patient is not required to stay overnight. Typically people visit outpatient centers for minor surgeries, lab testing, routine treatments, or rehabilitation services.
While some outpatient centers do have an emergency and/or walk-in clinic, medical assistants enjoy working in these centers due to lower chances of an emergency or urgent medical needs.
There is no shortage of places where medical assistants can work. In addition to what is listed above, medical assistants can find jobs in any medical or medical-related field. Want to learn more about becoming a medical assistant? Check out our Ultimate Guide: How to Become a Medical Assistant.
If you are interested in starting your journey as a medical assistant, talk to an advisor at Chattanooga College to get started today!