Medical assistants usually take care of both administrative and clinical needs. Specific responsibilities vary depending on the space of the physician’s office. Medical assistants are in charge of front office tasks at their place of work to make the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health care providers organized and run smoothly. According to US Department of Labor, medical assistants are currently in demand and have great job opportunities, ranking medical assistants among one of the fastest growing occupations in this decade.
Medical Assistant Training Cost
To have a specific idea on medical assistant training costs, you have to choose whether to go on a one year, or a two year medical assistant training course. According to research, private institutions that offer medical assistant training courses can charge up to $10,000 for a two year course. However, if you want to go on a 1 year medical assistant training course, you might have to pay a tuition fee ranging from $2500 to $4,500. Training courses typically range from weeks up to 1 year depending on the school. Some school also offer a 6 quarter diploma course for $4,250, which also includes books, fees and school supplies. If you want to have a discount, you can watch out for some vocational schools which often advertise half off tuition fee rates during enrollment seasons. There are also schools that offers scholarship and tuition discounts for those who are interested to enrole on a medical assistant training course.
Additional Costs Include:
The CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) test is conducted by the AAMA (American Association of Medical Assistants). Those with proper accredited certification and training are often more sought after in the job market. Currently, the cost of the exam for student AAMA members is $95 while for non members, its $170. But the cost has risen to $170 for members and $250 for non members, as of February 2009.
If you passed the training course, then getting back these expenses would not be an issue because most medical assistants can earn $25,000 to $30,000 annually. In addition, your salary rises with promotions and work experience. After enough working experience, you can earn as much as $35,000 annually.