Medical Assistants
(SOC 31-9092)

Print Version

Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.

Sample of reported job titles: Medical Assistant, Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Doctor's Assistant, Medical Office Assistant, Optometric Assistant, Clinical Assistant, Ophthalmic Technician, Optometric Technician, Outpatient Surgery Assistant

Job Responsibilities

• Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
• Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
• Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
• Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
• Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
• Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician.
• Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
• Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
• Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
• Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.

New Hampshire Outlook

• Average Hourly Wage*: $15.31
• Estimated Employment 2010: 1,491
• Projected Employment 2020: 1,807
• Expected 10-Year Growth: 21.2%
• Projected Average Annual Openings: 55

Top industries in NH for this occupation:

• Ambulatory Health Care Services
• Hospitals
• General Merchandise Stores
• Accounting and Bookkeeping Services
• Management of Companies and Enterprises

Education and Training

Entry-level Medical Assistants are usually required to have a high school diploma, and train on-the-job for one to twelve months. There are, however, a variety of postsecondary educational programs available for medical assisting, ranging in length from a few months to a two-year Associate's degree. Applicants who have completed a formal educational program in medical assisting may be preferred by employers.

In New Hampshire, Medical Assistants do not require a professional license. There are several postsecondary institutions offering medical assisting programs in the state.

Interests (Holland Code): SCR

• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Career Cluster: Health Science

Work Environment
Most medical assistants work in physicians' offices and other healthcare facilities. Most work full time.

Additional Information Sources**
American Association of Medical Assistants
<www.aama-ntl.org>

NH State Society of Medical Assistants
<nhsma.webs.com>

To Find a Job
Contact the nearest NH Employment Security office or go online to www.nhes.nh.gov

* New Hampshire Occupational Employment and Wages, September 2012. Wage estimates based on surveys through May 2011, adjusted to June 2012.
** Inclusion of this information is intended to provide a convenient resource for research, but in no way constitutes an endorsement for any organization; nor is the list all-inclusive.

Source:
NH Employment Projections, base year 2010 to projected year 2020
Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010, Bureau of Labor Statistics

For more information:
Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
(603) 228-4124
elmi@nhes.nh.gov