Medical Administrative Assistant Programs in MA

Medical administrative assistants provide key services at most medical clinics and other healthcare facilities in Massachusetts. In fact, they are often the very first people that patients see when they arrive for their appointments. These medical assistants also process patients’ insurance information, schedule and re-schedule appointments and maintain and update patient data.

If you are interested in working in a medical area, and enjoy interacting with both patients and healthcare providers, check out the Medical Office Assistant schools in Massachusetts that are listed below. You can request information from as many schools as you like, and then make a decision about which one might be best for you.

Nationwide, most administrative medical assistants are employed in physicians’ offices. Many others work in hospitals and in the offices of other health practitioners. Still others work in outpatient care facilities. In Massachusetts, there may be an opportunity to work at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the top-ranked hospitals in the nation. There’s also Tufts Medical Center and UMass Memorial and the clinics that work with them. Altogether, the state has more than 100 hospitals and hundreds of medical clinics, and most require the services of medical administrative assistants.

Administrative Medical Office Assistant Programs in Massachusetts

To enter this profession, additional education beyond high school is often required or preferred. Most medical administrative assistants in Massachusetts have received diplomas from either certificate or Associates Degree programs. Many have also become certified after passing the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exam. Higher levels of education and/or certification may be related to higher pay and additional job opportunities.

To get into an accredited medical assisting certificate program, a high school diploma or its equivalent is a must-have. Some schools will also require passing grades on keyboarding and language exams, as well as the successful completion of a background check. Schools that offer Associates Degrees will often have minimum GPA requirements.

The coursework in 1-1.5-year medical assisting certificate programs in Massachusetts will usually be quite specific in nature. Expect classes in areas like medical office procedures, customer service in the healthcare environment and patient coding. By contrast, two-year Associates Degree programs will include additional general studies in areas like math, communications, medical terminology, ethics and English.

Working as an Administrative Medical Assistant in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is one of the top-paying states for medical administrative assistants. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, in 2013, the mean annual wage for medical office assistants was $37,460. At the same time, the nationwide mean wage stood at $30,780.

Medical administrative assistants can likely look forward to a bright job outlook for a number of years to come. A 22 percent increase in medical assisting jobs is expected from 2012-2022, according to O*Net.

If you can imagine a future in a profession with good job security in a professional environment, you may want to seriously consider becoming a medical office assistant. The fulfillment you can experience as you care for patients in a compassionate and empathetic way is often one of the most compelling reasons to enter this profession. Contact the medical administrative assistant schools in Massachusetts you see on this page to learn more about your options for study.