Career and Academic Prep PDF

Running head: CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 1
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Career and Academic Prep
Institution’s Name:
Student’s Name:
Career Research Project.

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 2
Job Description.
A medical assistant is expected to carry out duties such as administering injections,
wound dressing, measuring vital signs among others. Medical assistants working
environment varies depending on which type of a medical assistant you are. They
work in hospitals both public and private, clinics and many health institutions. Their
median annual salary is approximately $ 35000. They are also entitled to 5 sick days
and most of the work on full-time shifts during the day or at night.
As a medical assistant, you are required to complete a program in medical assistance
offered by American Association of Medical Assistants to become certified. This
association is usually joined with one year after graduation. A certified medical
assistant has an advantage of securing long term employment opportunities quickly
compared to a non-certified medical assistant.
American Association of Medical Assistants requires that medical assistants renew
their certification every 5 years. There is also a recertification test offered at a fee. The
learning styles include taking tests and practicals at health institutions (Freund,
Everett, Griffiths, Hudon, Naccarella, Laurant, 2015).
The advantages of a medical assistant is that they requires short medicine programs
compared to that of nurses and doctors. One is also able to learn by interacting with
different people. A medical assistant can pursue his passion in medicine by providing
care.

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 3
They also have some elements which are not desirable such as rude and disrespectful
patients, highly demanding as one takes orders from health personnel. The health
personnel may be rude and poor working conditions.
Educational requirements.
There are many universities and colleges that offer medical assistance and dental
assistance programs. The following are among those ranked to be the best colleges:
 Phoenix College in Arizona.
 Carrington College which has a campus in Phoenix.
 Arizona College in Glendale.
To be a qualified medical assistant one should pursue either a certificate, diploma or
degree in medical assistance. This program usually takes one to two years to
complete.The entrance requirements for any program in medical assistance and dental
assistance, is that one should have taken high school classes in sciences especially
Anatomy, Biology and Chemistry
The following are courses which are compulsory for any medical assistance
course:Anatomy,Physiology,Phlebotomy, Basic surgical assisting,Patient care,Clinical
courses, Office administration and Medical terminology among others.
The medical assistance program requires admission testing to check whether the
candidates are suitable to pursue a course in medical assistance. There can also be on-

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 4
job training to improve skills. The approximate financial cost of pursuing any
program in medical assisting either certificate, diploma or degree ranges from $ 2500
to over $ 10000.
To enhance and improve chances of employment, a medical assistant should complete
a program with the American Association of Medical Assistants to become a certified
medical assistant. (Starmer, Spector, Srivastava, West, Rosenbluth, Allen, Lipsitz,
2014).
Job Market Evaluation.
As a medical assistant I would prefer to work in Chicago. The area has high demand
for medical assistants thus increased chances of securing employment. According to
the Bureaue of Labour Statistics, USA the demand for medical assistants will increase
by 29% between 2016 and 2026.
The potential employers of medical assistants include:
 Russell Dermatology of Conway.
 Lafayette General Medical Center.
 Northest Georgia Health System.
 Southern New Hampshire Medical Center.
 Inova Health System.
 First Health of Carolinas.

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 5
 Clinical University of Miami.
 Houston Methodist.
 Memorial Coast Health Institute.
 Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center.
The following are job opportunities posted on an article on www.indeed.com in
Chicago:
 Certified Medical Assistant, multiple opening in Swedish Convent Hospital.
 Medical assistant, Dermatology full-time in North Western Medicine.
 Medical assistant, certified /registered in Mercy Health System of Chicago.
Plan B.
Job description.
Plan B would to be a dental assistant. Duties of a dental assistant include receiving
and welcoming patients, preparing the tools required by the dentist, educating on
importance of dental care among others. A dental assistant's working environment is
friendly and would involve minimal activities. They play minor but significant roles

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 6
in the dental clinic. Their median annual salary is about $36000.They are also entitled
to 5 sick days and are not expected to work during public holidays. A dental assistant
should join the American Association of Dental Assistants (Starmer, Spector,
Srivastava, West, Rosenbluth, Allen, Lipsitz, 2014).
A dental assistant is not required to complete any program before training. He or she
can be induced to the job via on-job training. Registration with the American
Association of Dental Assistants increases the chances of securing employment
opportunities.
The advantages of a dental assistant work is that they require short and relatively
cheap medicine programs. A dental assistant can start working immediately as no
special certifications and licences are required. There is high demand for dental
assistant in most parts of the country.
The disadvantages of a medical assistant is that one may encounter rude and
disrespectful customers. There are low chances of being promoted to a higher rank.
This is because one should acquire additional educational requirements for higher
ranks for example pursue a degree in dental assisting.
Educational requirements.
For one to secure employment as a dental assistant, one should pursue a certificate,
diploma or degree in dental assisting. The following are some of the colleges that
offer programs in medical assisting:

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 7
 Phoenix College in Arizona.
 Carrington College which has a campus in Phoenix.
 Arizona College in Glen.
A program in dental assisting usually takes approximately 1-2 years. This depends on
whether the program is a certificate, diploma or degree. The average financial cost of
pursuing a program in medical assisting is about $8000 to $15000.
The entrance requirements for any program in dental assistance, is that one should
have taken high school classes in sciences especially Anatomy, Biology and
Chemistry.
All programs in dental assisting programs have the following common courses:dental
anatomy, dental ceramics, dental radiography, dental pharmacology, dental office
administration among others. Dental assistants do not require an admission test. An
induction is usually done to familiarize them with the environment.
The advantage of joining a professional association such as the American Association
of Dental Assistants is that it increases the chances of securing permanent
employment(Starmer, Spector, Srivastava, West, Rosenbluth, Allen, Lipsitz, 2014).
Job Evaluation.
Arizona is the state with the highest demand for dental assistants. Therefore, I would
prefer to work in Arizona as there are high employment opportunities. According to

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 8
statistics provided by the US bureau of labor, the demand of dental assistant would
increase by 25% between 2016 and 2026. This is because of the medical reforms
being implemented in the country.
Medical assistants and dental assistants can be employed by the same employers.
However, they work in different departments. Potential employers of dental assistants
include:
 Russell Dermatology of Conway.
 Lafayette General Medical Center.
 Northest Georgia Health System.
 Southern New Hampshire Medical Center.
 Inova Health System.
 First Health of Carolinas.
 Clinical University of Miami.
 Houston Methodist.
 Memorial Coast Health Institute.
 Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center.
The following are employment vacancies advertised on the website www.indeed.com
for medical assistants:
 Dental assistant: US department of the army.
 Dental assistant at university North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 Dental assistant. Alton Clinic. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

CAREER AND ACADEMIC PREP 9
Reference.
Freund, T., Everett, C., Griffiths, P., Hudon, C., Naccarella, L., & Laurant, M. (2015).
Skill mix, roles and remuneration in the primary care workforce: who are the

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healthcare professionals in the primary care teams across the
world?. International journal of nursing studies, 52(3), 727-743.
Starmer, A. J., Spector, N. D., Srivastava, R., West, D. C., Rosenbluth, G., Allen, A.
D., ... & Lipsitz, S. R. (2014). Changes in medical errors after implementation of
a haI cannot upload via the portal since my system has some technical issuesndoff
program. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(19), 1803-1812.