Career Advancement Options for Medical Assistants

For those ambitious to push their careers further, medical assisting credentials and experience act as a significantly strong foundation to enter into other more coveted areas of the medical field. So what advancement opportunities are possible? Let us take a look:

1. Administration/Managerial Advancements

   1. Managerial Positions in Healthcare

      As discussed, one way to advance your career beyond your MA role is to go for supervisory, senior roles. These positions entrust you with a responsibility to lead others, organize and take charge of the end success of your department/whole establishment.

      • Job Duties:
        • Integrating new technologies
        • Human resources
        • Managing the finances
        • Ensuring the highest quality services and upholding the medical code of conduct in the department.
      • Job Titles Available:
        • Clinical Team Leader
        • Lead Medical Assistant
        • Medical Records Manager
        • Transcription Supervisor
        • Clinical Office Manager
        • Financial Manager
        • Healthcare Department Manager
        • Health Care Administrator
        • Health Insurance Manager
        • Hospital Manager
        • General Manager
        • Sales Manager
        • Health Services Manager
      • Job Outlook and Salary: BLS projects a 28% growth, i.e., around 136,200 new vacancies for medical and health industry managers. Thus, healthcare management is in great demand. They’re paid handsomely as well (BLS data postulates $101,340 as the average salary for this category in 2021).
      • Training and Experience: Usually, individuals need to document a Bachelors’s degree. However, a Masters’s degree (MBA) in Business Administration is becoming extremely popular. These degrees with a specialization in healthcare management (programs are available) would ideally set you apart from other applicants. Individuals usually start gathering much base-level and then lead-level medical experience in the clinical establishment before being promoted to a managerial position.

   2. Health Information Management

      Even though a managerial role again, these positions in the health information sector need a separate mention. The demand for this position is overgrowing because of the significant changes technology has brought along in the functioning of all healthcare facilities. For instance, organizations are investing heavily in electronic medical record-keeping now.

      • Job Duties: Two major managerial roles exist in this realm:
        • HIM Manager’s specific job roles include ensuring medical data is current, secure, and accurate, up-keeping patient privacy laws, laying instructions for the staff, and devising the HIM budgets.
        • HIM Directors decide organizational goals, ensure all the applicable laws are adhered to, manage the different HIM teams, and maintain external relations with respective state and national bodies.
      • Job Titles:
        • Medical Record Administrator
        • Revenue Cycle Manager (Coding Billing)
        • Health Information Manager
        • Director of HIM (Operations)
        • Project Manager (Data Analytics)
        • Director of Clinical Informatics
        • Director of Risk Management (Compliance)
        • Data Quality Manager (IT/Infrastructure)
        • Chief Technology Officer
      • Job Outlook and Salary: The job of a Medical and Health services manager has been ranked as number 3 (2021) on the 100 best jobs list (U.S. News & World Report). It is ranked 1st on the best business jobs list and 3rd amongst all STEM jobs. HIM managers get paid $59,326  per annum on average (as per indeed.com). More specifically, Medical Record Administrators draw $81,950, Compliance/Risk Assessment Managers $89,230, and Managers in IT $98,180 per annum.
      • Training and Experience: To become an HIM, you would need analytical issue-solving competencies. A Bachelors’s degree in Health Information Management is most befitting.

2. Medical Technology Advancements

   1. Surgical Technologist

      Surgical Technologists are a part of operating room teams (including surgeons and anaesthesiologists).

      • Job Duties:
        • Their primary function is to prepare the chamber before an operation comprehensively
        • Sterilizing and setting up surgical apparatus
        • Arranging the required medications from the circulator
      • Training and Experience: Post-secondary education is needed, and an associate’s degree is much valued for this role. Certificates, for instance, the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) credential may also be sought. Basic life support and CPR certifications are often mandatory.
      • Job Outlook and Salary: According to BLS, growth for this occupation is projected at 6% from 2021 to 2031 (faster than average for all fields). The mean hourly wage of $23.32 and $48,510 annually (BLS 2021estimate) are paid on an average to Surgical Technologists in the USA.

   2. Clinical Laboratory Technologist

      Clinical Lab Technologists have to perform complex diagnosis and detection tests using varied technical equipment.

      • Job Duties:
        • Working in laboratories
        • Testing patient samples
        • Assessing body fluids and blood specimens
        • Recording key test results and presenting the data forward
      • Training and Experience: A bachelor’s degree is required, which can be pursued in streams of laboratory technology or life sciences. Depending on the state you seek jobs in, specific licensure may be mandatory to qualify.
      • Job Outlook and Salary: Lab Technologists are paid $27.68 on an average per hour (as per payscale.com) and between $40,426 and $60,138 per annum (according to salary.com as of Jan 01, 2023). This package is for non-certified Technologists.

   3. Medical Records Health Information Technicians

      This job role is most popular across hospitals, followed by physician centers and offices.

      • Job Duties:
        • Documenting critical patient health information
        • Reviewing and organizing all patient records
        • Assigning clinical codes utilizing classification software and EHR procedures
        • Tracking patient outcomes for quality assessment
      • Training and Experience: Obtain a certificate (Registered Health Information Technician – RHIT) for this role. CTR, i.e., Certified Tumor Registrar certification, is also often sought by employers. Training from accredited programs may be needed for these certifications. Some employers may ask you for an Associates’s degree, as this is a highly specialized field.
      • Job Outlook and Salary: Expect annual pays of $40,404 (as of Jan 01, 2023, according to salary.com) and $16.26 per hour (as per payscale.com). BLS projects an7% growth from 2021 to 2031.

3. Trainer-Level Advancements

   1. Medical Assistant Instructor

      Training new batches of MAs and leading them to excel can be quite a satisfying job for some. This way, you get to stick to your medical assisting passion while also advancing to a more senior role (and better pay).

      • Job Duties:
        • Instructing new hires, teaching, managing, and delegating responsibilities to the MA teams in the facility
        • Ready them for all duties
      • Training and Experience: You would ideally be a certified medical assistant in the first place. Experience of relentless years of medical assisting is crucial.
      • Job Outlook and Salary: The average annual pays for MA instructors range between $35,336 and $70,739, as per salary.com.  With the growth in MA jobs, the number of openings for MA instructors also is on an uphill trajectory.

4. Medical Office Advancements

   1. Executive Medical Office Secretary

      Medical assistants are already trained as administrative assistants. You can take this beyond as a Medical Secretary.

      • Job Duties:
        • Clerical functions in the clinical office of a physician, hospital, etc.
        • Preparing invoices and memos
        • Arranging meetings for staff and reserving conference rooms and F&B
        • Handling phone call inquiries
        • Managing mails and fax documents
        • Database management
      • Training and Experience: Training in admin-related functions either as part of your MA program or as an add-on course is needed. However, the experience is all-important here. Expertise at computers, payment procedures, and insurance is a must. Training for accurate reporting and communication competencies (both verbal and written) are also encouraged.
      • Salary: $43,005 is the average pay per annum as per salary.com.

5. Specialization Advancements

   1. Speciality Medical Practitioners

      From oncology to transplants, the world of medicine has infinite specialization areas. Even MAs can pick a specific area or department to master and advance in. Both admin and clinical specialties are available to choose from.

      • Job Outlook and Salary: Once you specialize in any of these key roles, your pay, as well as position in the industry, is higher. Your specialized skills make it difficult for you to be replaced, hence rendering you more job security.
      • Training and Experience: Depending on the specialization area, you might need to achieve an additional certificate. For instance, to specialize in Gynecology, no separate certification is sought, whereas, to specialize in Ophthalmology, an Ophthalmology medical assistant course must be pursued. As an MA, you must gain valuable work experience in your preferred specialty departments as part of your externship and even after.
      • Clinical Specialization Areas for MAs:
        • Podiatry: focus on foot-related ailments and conditions
        • EKG technicians: cardiology expert, Holter monitor, stress testing
        • Ophthalmology: eye care, treatments, diagnostic assessment
        • Gynecology: women health, Pap testing, breast examinations
        • Pediatric Medical Assistant: specializing in childhood diseases, immunizations, care
      • Administrative Specialization Areas for MAs:
        • Medical Billing: managing charge sheets, hospital, or ambulatory care coding; professional coding credentials are offered via the AAPC and the BMSC
        • Medical Administrative Assistants: specializing in medical office management, working with key managers and admin team, taking minutes of meetings, drafting spreadsheets, staff organization

6. Non-Traditional Advancements in Health Sciences

   1. Unique Health Science Occupations

      As an MA, your varied experience with healthcare environments will let you follow your passion. Follow unique and exciting career paths in the field of health and wellness that go beyond medical assisting. You may pursue fitness and nutrition, health policy-related careers, or community health roles.

      • Training and Experience: Health Sciences is varied. Any experience you gather as an extern and entry-level MA would count valuably. Complete a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences specifically to embark on this journey.

7. Nursing Level Advancements

   If it is the patient care and assistance functions that are most attractive to you, nursing is a great career step to tread on. Nurses go beyond what MAs do and render care to the patients on a deeper level. Nursing professions have well-defined paths for advancement, which generate systematic salary hikes. They also have options to specialize in fields such as oncology and ambulatory care.

   So if you love serving your patients the most, and want to continue doing that while being paid more, consider the nursing path of advancement seriously. Let us study the different stages in the nursing profession and identify the different types of nursing roles:

   1. Licensed Practical or Licensed Vocational Nurse

      • Job Duties: Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) provide primary medical care. They work under the direction of registered nurses and doctors. LPNs and LVNs across hospitals, clinics, and medical offices:
        • monitor their patient’s health
        • check vital signs, eg: blood pressure
        • aid patients with daily routine tasks (help them bathe/dress)
        • change bandages
        • discuss with patients about the treatment being rendered
        • address patient queries

        Note: State-wise differences are also present. Your state laws may restrict you as an LPN or LVN to conduct specific tasks. For instance, IV drips can be rendered by LPNs in some states, whereas in other regions, they are beyond the LPN scope of work by law.

      • Job Outlook: As per BLS, 6% growth in jobs is predicted for this occupation (much faster than average) from the years 2021 to 2031. An average hourly wage of $24.35 is offered as per Payscale and $32.39 per hour as per indeed.com. Median pay on average as per BLS is estimated at $48,070 per annum.
      • Training and Experience: You must essentially graduate from an approved nursing program (1-year diploma courses are available). Programs are schooled across technical schools, community colleges as well as hospitals. You must also mandatorily pass the NCLEX-PN exam to become licensed for practice. CPR training is also sought by employers. Certifications in specialist areas such as IV therapy are provided through professional credentialing bodies that can enhance your employability further.

   2. Registered Nurse

      • Job Duties: Registered Nurses or RNs conduct more complex and significant patient care functions than LPNs. Some of their duties include:
        • Recording patient behavior and responses
        • Administering medications
        • Physical testing and diagnostics
        • Making treatment decisions (when applicable)
        • Helping doctors decide the treatment plans
        • Instructing and managing nurse assistants, nurses, and aides
      • Job Outlook and Salary: RNs are paid considerably more than MAs, $43.82 per hour, as estimated by indeed.com, and $67,000 on an average per year as per salary.com. A total of 6%  growth is projected by BLS estimates (2021-2031).
      • Training and Experience: A bachelor’s degree is highly encouraged to be completed (especially for hospitals) as most applicants now have this qualification. In some instances, however, an associate degree (ADN for 2/3 years) or diploma may also work. RNs have to practically be licensed by the state they’re practicing in. For this, they must graduate from an accredited program that makes them eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination. Thus, RNs take longer and more training than LPNs to qualify.

   3. Nurse Practitioners (NP)

      • Job Duties: It is the highest position for the nursing occupation. NPs discharge the most complicated tasks, like:
        • determining patient health improvement procedures
        • deciding on ways to integrate health promotion strategies with patient’s lives
        • specializing in managing a specific population of patients (eg: psychiatric, pediatric health, or geriatric health).
      • Training and Experience: To become an NP, you would first have to practice as an RN. Master’s of Science of Nursing or a Doctor’s degree in Nursing Practice is the next step. All in all, it may take around 6 years to reach this stage, but it is worth the while.
      • Job Outlook and Salary: According to salary.com, $119,601 on an average is paid to Nurse Practitioners per year (as of Jan, 2023). BLS estimates a whopping 40% growth projection for NPs (2021-2031), which is unbelievingly promising.