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Those people at clinics and hospitals that greet us when we come in are not just nurses but medical assistants as well.
As the need for more workers in the medical field increases due to the greater number of people asking medical help, many medical procedures are closely related to medical assistants.
This job is not for everyone since it has a lot of responsibilities.
Sometimes, it can be stressful and it is only for multi-taskers and quick learners.
So, before entering this field, determine if it is a good career choice for you.
Article Table of Contents
Job Description
Each job description related to medical assisting emphasizes the fact that medical assistants work side by side with doctors, nurses and other staff, dealing with administrative and clinical issues.
That is why they need to be people who are problem solvers and skillful enough to know how to react in emergencies.
They need to possess good interpersonal skills to be able to work with both patients and medical professionals and detail-oriented when entering data.
They can work anywhere since medical assistant is in demand in hospitals and clinics across the country and the need for their occupation cannot stop.
This means that future medical assistants have the opportunity to find a job throughout the USA.
Becoming a Medical Assistant in Michigan
The Michigan Society of Medical Assistants determine which administrative and clinical duties medical assistant can perform:
- Administrative duties include:
- Arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services
- Filling out insurance forms
- Office correspondence and bookkeeping
- Maintaining patient medical records
- Scheduling appointments
- Clinical duties are:
- Assisting physicians during patient exams
- Collecting and preparing laboratory specimens and drawing blood
- Explaining treatment to patients
- Administering medications under the supervision of a physician
- Preparing patients for examinations
The state of Michigan does not require that medical assistants need to be licensed medical professionals.
But, being that assistants are in direct connection to the public’s health and well-being, specialized skills related to formal education and practical experience should be obligatory.
Medical assistants can choose one of three options: a diploma, certificate or associate degree.
Each option has separate advantages, meaning that a certificate is the least time-consuming program, which lasts between 9 and 12 months, but consequently offers less knowledge, while a diploma program lasts about a year or less, but gives you the chance to continue your education to an associate degree.
The best option which takes more time and is more demanding, but offers the best education and practice is an associate degree medical assistant program, which lasts about 2 years.
Requirements
If you decide to choose any of the accredited programs, you will be prepared to work as a competent and skillful medical assistant.
All ABHES- and CAAHEP-accredited programs result in an externship where you will be able to put your recently acquired skills in a clinical setting into practice and get experience in the real environment.
There are 12 ABHES-accredited programs and 27 CAAHEP-accredited programs in Michigan and the benefits that they give you will be great.
A comprehensive medical assistant program prepares students to successfully take a certification examination and the Michigan Society of Medical Assistants recognizes the Certified Medical Assistant credential through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential through American Medical Technologists.
The accredited associations who offer these kinds of programs are:
- National Center for Competency Testing: The National Certified Medical Assistant
- National Healthcare Association: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
- The American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants: Podiatric Medical Assistant, Certified
- The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel In Ophthalmology: Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
Getting a Job
If you are already a certified medical assistant in Michigan, it is time to search for a fulfilling and secure job.
Even though there is a high number of medical assistants already employed in the state of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget report a change in the number of medical assistant job opportunities.
There are approximately 700 annual openings for medical assistants in Michigan and the Michigan Society of Medical Assistants is the association where medical assistants can explore their job prospects.
Michigan has to offer a great number of employers of medical assistants, such as hospital systems and medical groups.
Medical assistants may look for job opportunities in:
- Henry Ford Medical Group, Detroit
- CHE Trinity Health, Livonia
- Spectrum Health Systems, Grand Rapids
- University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor
- McLaren Health Care Corporation, Flint
Salary
Because there is a greater demand for medical assistants in a health care setting such as hospitals, physicians’ offices, medical clinics, and nursing care facilities, their job opportunities are increasing.
The greater job prospects for medical assistants working in Michigan, the higher are chances of a better salary.
Medical assistants working in Michigan earn different salaries depending on the level of education, experience, and responsibilities.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics which collects the data related to employment and salaries throughout the US states, when it comes to Michigan’s medical assistants, they earn a slightly higher average salary than the national average in this field.
The table below shows the salary of a medical assistant in the state of Michigan annually since it significantly varies from one city to another.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Ann Arbor,MI | $36,175 |
| Battle Creek,MI | $34,154 |
| Benton Harbor,MI | $32,913 |
| Canton,MI | $36,120 |
| Dearborn,MI | $35,312 |
| Dearborn Heights,MI | $35,294 |
| Detroit,MI | $35,312 |
| Farmington,MI | $35,165 |
| Flint,MI | $31,876 |
| Grand Rapids,MI | $33,627 |
| Kalamazoo,MI | $33,544 |
| Lansing,MI | $33,744 |
| Livonia,MI | $35,202 |
| Muskegon,MI | $32,100 |
| Novi,MI | $36,010 |
| Pontiac,MI | $35,368 |
| Royal Oak,MI | $35,275 |
| Saginaw,MI | $31,984 |
| Southfield,MI | $35,239 |
| Sterling Heights,MI | $35,202 |
| Taylor,MI | $35,257 |
| Troy,MI | $35,184 |
| Warren,MI | $35,312 |
| Waterford,MI | $35,403 |
| West Bloomfield,MI | $35,456 |
| Westland,MI | $35,606 |
| Wyoming,MI | $33,627 |
Regional Salary in Michigan
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor, MI | 1,480 | $40,580 | $19.51 | $45,290 | $35,170 |
| Battle Creek, MI | 260 | $37,080 | $17.83 | $41,860 | $30,170 |
| Bay City, MI | 170 | $34,260 | $16.47 | $38,420 | $28,990 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 11,570 | $37,120 | $17.85 | $45,010 | $29,120 |
| Flint, MI | 1,100 | $35,460 | $17.05 | $42,610 | $29,540 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI | 2,390 | $37,480 | $18.02 | $44,760 | $30,210 |
| Jackson, MI | 330 | $38,840 | $18.67 | $47,180 | $35,030 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 990 | $38,430 | $18.47 | $45,760 | $30,330 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 990 | $37,600 | $18.08 | $43,590 | $30,740 |
| Midland, MI | 190 | $34,890 | $16.78 | $37,940 | $30,050 |
| Monroe, MI | 200 | $33,640 | $16.17 | $41,600 | $28,050 |
| Muskegon, MI | 470 | $36,400 | $17.5 | $39,460 | $30,320 |
| Niles-Benton Harbor, MI | 330 | $35,970 | $17.29 | $42,480 | $30,570 |
| Saginaw, MI | 630 | $36,920 | $17.75 | $41,920 | $29,670 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Duties
When it comes to regular duties, the primary obligations of medical assistants can be administrative tasks such as insurance forms, medical bills, answering calls and questions and scheduling appointments and advising patients in terms of medication, diet, and further appointments.
They are those who explain to you the doubts that you might have about the advice that the physician has given to you.
On the other hand, they might also be asked by the other medical staff to provide medical duties.
The assistance to a physician and preparation of patients for examination and surgery are very responsible obligations entrusted to them.
Measuring patient’s weight, blood pressure, collecting blood samples, doing laboratory work is also their daily activities.
Whether only one person performs all these duties, depends on the amount of work that the facility has and the size of it, which might determine if it is possible to separate it into two or more medical assistants.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Medical Assistant
Medical Assisting by City
Medical Assisting by State