Every full third week of October is “Medical Assistant Recognition Week.”
The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), which sponsors
the event, has called upon medical offices of all types to pause and
offer their medical assistants the recognition they most surely
deserve. This year, Medical Assistant Recognition Week is October 19-23.
Presently, there are approximately 417,000 medical assistants now
working in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS). The number of medical assisting jobs is expected to
increase to approximately 565,000 by 2016, according to the BLS.
Approximately 62 percent of medical assistants work in private
physicians’ offices, while others are providing medical assisting
services in clinics, group practices and similar facilities. Medical
assistants provide essential support services that range from drawing
blood and performing basic medical tests to maintaining medical records
and doing the office’s insurance billing.
The AAMA suggests a number of ways employers can recognize the their
medical assistants’ efforts and contributions, ranging from presenting
their medical assistants with flowers, plaques or certificates of
recognition to providing an extra paid day off to be used when needed.
Medical Assistant Training
More and more people are training to be medical assistants, with
medical assisting courses offered at schools both public and private.
Currently, the leader in medical assistant training is Everest, which
trains, graduates and places more medical assistants than any other
institution in America.
For more information on medical assisting as a career, contact Everest today!