Career overview

Medical Assistants

O*NET-SOC 31-9092.00

Median pay / yr$44,200

OutlookRapid Growth; Numerous Job Openings

Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.

What it takes

The skills, knowledge, and credentials employers look for in Medical Assistants.

Skills employers look for

Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Knowledge areas

English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Medicine and DentistryKnowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
AdministrativeKnowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.