If you’re looking at this then you probably currently work in the health field and are considering a change of course in your career path.
You may also be interested in this if you are thinking about a job as a Medical Assistant and would like to know about where that line of work can progress to.
A Medical Assistant Instructor is what the title implies – instructors who train medical assisting trainees, and to offer skills renewal to those who need re-certification.
Although most MA teachers begin as experienced MA’s themselves, it is also possible to shift into this occupation if you have a nursing background, as you already possess the clinical qualifications and skills that a medical assistant has, plus much more.
Generally instructors are teaching courses where the qualification the students receive is a Certificate or an Associate degree.
As a medical assistant instructor you will be required to teach the following areas:
– Administrative
– Clinical
Administrative
This is also often referred to as ‘Front Office’.
This involves teaching students in a range of office duties including greeting patients, telephone skills, maintaining patient records, medical coding and medical billing, scheduling appointments and outside procedures.
Clinical
This is often called ‘Back Office’.
Here you teach hands on patient skills and procedures ranging from taking vitals, and administering injections, through to basic phlebotomy (fingersticks) and possibly electrocardiograms.
Specialization
Although you will have the best chances for job opportunities, if you teach both areas, it is possible, particularly in larger schools, to specialize in either of the two main subject areas outlined above, or even in a more highly specialized area within the ‘Back Office’ area.
Externships
Often Instructors will need to visit and observe students as they work in an externship or internship both for the purpose of training and evaluation.
Teaching Duties
Here is an overview of the tasks Instructors are called upon to perform:
- Administer tests and measure student progress
- Prepare course outlines and schedules
- Present lectures in a class room setting
- Provide instruction in a practical setting
- Arrange guest lectures by outside experts
- Supervise laboratory work and externships
- Review enrolment applications
Necessary Qualifications
Firstly you need to be certified as a Medical Assistant, and you will usually need a minimum of an Associate’s Degree in either medical assisting or nursing.
In addition to this most institutions require their instructors to have had at least 3 years of working experience.
Expected Income
As research recently published by the Medical Assistant Atlas shows, and instructor can expect to earn at least 60% more than a CMA.
SalaryExpert.com reports that incomes range between $43,000 and $80,000 per year depending on location, a more realistic estimate is provided by the online job advertisement service indeed.com who say the average salary is $46,000.