Without a doubt, medical assistants play a vital role in healthcare. Not only do they assist physicians and allow them to see more patients, but they also interface with various groups on a regular basis. More often than not, they are the first and last face a patient will see during their visit. If you have chosen a rewarding medical assistant career, you might be in need of some great resources. After all, medical assistant training isn’t always enough to stay current.
Check out our handy list of organizations, blogs, and other resources. They can help you stay on top of the latest in the medical assistant industry and continually advance your career:
- American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA): This fantastic organization strives to provide medical assistants with education, certification, networking opportunities, scope-of-practice protection, and much more.
- American Registry of Medical Assistants (ARMA): This non-profit organization provides continuing education as well as certification opportunities. Their website also maintains several helpful sections, such as an online forum, job listings, a handy FAQ page, and an events tracker page.
- American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants (ASPMA): According to ASPMA’s mission statement, their purpose is to “promote, foster, improve, sustain, and advance the profession of podiatric medical assistants.” They seek to raise the standard of education for podiatric medical assistants and enlighten the public. Along with networking, continuing education, and certification opportunities, ASPMA also awards scholarships through the Zelda Walling Vicha Memorial Trust Fund.
- American Health Care Association (AHCA): As their website states, the AHCA is a “non-profit federation of affiliate state health organizations” that represents approximately 13,500 nursing facilities, assisted living, developmentally disabled, and subacute care providers. For medical assistants working in longterm care, there are numerous benefits to becoming a member of the AHCA. (They maintain a career center, too!)
- Legal Eye on Medical Assisting (Blog): Follow this blog for insightful posts about medical assisting, current events, and professional certification. Helmed by Donald A. Balasa, chief executive officer and legal counsel for the American Association of Medical Assistants, this blog keeps readers informed about the field of medical assisting. Posts include topics like medical assistant scope-of-practice issues, key legislation that affects the profession, CMA (AAMA) credential, national health care initiatives, and more.
- Medline (Blog): To stay as up-to-date as possible, you might want to follow Medline: The Voices of Healthcare. Experts in the field write posts about improving patient care, achieving desired clinical outcomes, discovering new solutions, and so much more. There are also posts that specifically include tips and extra information for medical assistants. Check out their “Hot Topics” section to learn more about current events in healthcare.
- National Healthcareer Association (Blog): According to their website, this association works with “educators adding certification to their programs, employers empowering their team, and individuals earning and maintaining certification.” Their blog posts provide readers with insight into healthcare and medical assisting. Additionally, they also maintain a job board and a professional development section on their website.
- Medical Assistant Resources (Blog): The Medical Assistant Resources blog posts valuable information about medical assisting. Some of their older posts have included headlines like the following: “How to Write a Medical Assistant Resume Objective,” “Pros and Cons of Online Medical Assistant Programs,” “A Day in the Life of a New York Medical Assistant,” etc.
- Find-A-Code (Database): The site maintains an online database of medical billing codes along with other useful information. As many medical assistants have billing and coding duties, this website might be incredibly helpful one day on the job.
Although medical assistant training is critical to your success, it’s also important to network, stay current, and maintain a list of resources. Hopefully this list has been informative and will help you with your future endeavors.
