Florida Medical Assisting
Medical assistants are among the fastest-growing professional groups in the country, with nationwide growth predicted at 34 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Florida, medical assistants who complete a one or two-year career training, diploma, or credential program work in physicians' offices, clinics, hospitals, medical laboratories, or long-term care facilities. They work in offices of doctors, chiropractors, optometrists, and other practitioners, combining clinical duties with office administration tasks.
Medical assistants may set appointments, field telephone calls, take patient histories or x-rays, take vital signs, sterilize equipment, maintaining records for billing or insurance purposes. In large Florida clinics or physicians' offices, you may be required to specialize in the office operations or in patient care. In smaller offices or companies, you may be asked to handle both clerical and patient assisting duties.
Attending Florida Medical Assisting Schools
Depending on your Florida program, you may take classes in office procedures, transcription, insurance coding and billing, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, medical ethics and terminology. You may be required to practice your new skills during an externship with a health practitioner or Florida agency.
There are no state licensing requirements for medical assistants in Florida. However, if you want to advance your career, you may choose to complete Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) or Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) training and credentials to advance into administrative or managerial roles in the medical office. Certifications at the national level are offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and Association of Medical Technologists (AMT).
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