public or private school - what's best for your child?

If you're stuck in a job that leaves you too mentally and physically drained at the end of the day to enjoy the time spent with family, you're likely considering a career change to avoid total burnout. However, with bills and responsibilities, you may not feel you have the time to invest in your education by going to college full-time for the next four years. If you've always enjoyed jobs that allow you to interact with a diverse population and perform a number of skilled duties, you may be able to find your niche as a medical assistant -- without spending much additional time in school. Read on to learn more about this profession and what you'll need to do to get started.

Will your skills and abilities be a good fit for this profession?

A successful medical assistant possesses a number of different skills. Much of your workday will likely be spent on administrative tasks -- answering phones, scheduling appointments, greeting and escorting patients, and processing payments. Depending upon the type of medicine your managing physician practices, you could also find yourself taking vital signs, helping patients pick out glasses or contact lenses, or even drawing blood. You'll need a friendly, professional demeanor and the ability to prioritize and juggle multiple tasks at once.

Although you won't have as much hands-on patient contact as others in the medical field, if you're squeamish about blood, vomit, or other bodily fluids, this may not be the right field for you. You'll also need the physical ability to spend much of your day standing or walking, and good typing and word processing skills are important.

What education will you need to become a medical assistant? 

If you're concerned about being able to balance your current job with the training needed to pursue this career, you shouldn't worry -- you'll be able to become a medical assistant with only a one-year certificate or associate's degree. For those who need an immediate career change, the short (but intense) training period required to become a certified medical assistant can help boost earnings quickly.

Those who would prefer the more flexible schedule permitted by an associate's degree instead should be able to enroll in a local community college or even obtain this degree online. You'll be able to take classes as you can fit them into your current work and home schedule, paying as you go to help keep educational costs low. This degree can be completed in two years, but you'll be able to stretch this time period out as needed to accommodate your lifestyle.

Although each state's programs differ slightly, some of the classes you'll need to complete to become a certified and credentialed medical assistant include anatomy, physiology, biology, accounting, and even business law. These classes can help give you the background, vocabulary, and knowledge you'll need to successfully navigate the world of medicine.

What should you do to get started? 

Each state sets its own requirements for the education, licensing, and certification of medical assistants. You'll first need to check out your state's regulations to determine exactly what level of education and training may be required, as well as factors that could prevent you from ever being able to be certified (like a criminal record). 

Once you've determined what you'll need to do to qualify for this career, you'll want to decide whether a certificate program or associate's degree is the right fit. If your family can do without your regular income for up to a year, you may opt to quit your job and enroll in a certificate program. However, those who don't have the luxury of becoming a full-time student may want to investigate course offerings at the local community college to see how a future schedule may look. Finally, you'll want to speak with an admissions counselor about application deadlines, financial aid, and other important considerations you'll need to take into account when embarking on your new career.