Medical Assistant Programs in New Mexico

How to Become a Medical Assistant in New Mexico – Medical Assistant Programs in New Mexico

One healthcare career that is really growing these days is that of the medical assistant. A lot of people have seen a medical assistant during their doctor’s appointments and they do not even realize it. The medical assistant will get the patient’s information and put it into the computer, assist the doctor with their examinations, and schedule future appointments for the patient, including lab tests. In some areas, there are even medical assistants who specialize in certain areas: clerical and clinical. This allows the medical assistant who likes to help with patient examinations do just that and those who like to do clerical work can stay out of the exam rooms.

It is interesting to note that there are no real formal education requirements to becoming a medical assistant in New Mexico. Training for medical assistants is largely done on the job. However, these days, it is very difficult to find a doctor’s office or even a hospital that wants to take the time to train their new-hires. The good news is that you can actually earn a degree in medical assisting from a New Mexico community college or technical school. The degree is usually an associate’s degree, but some offer just certificates in medical assisting. Earning the certificate is enough to get a job in the field, so that could be the best option to get you in the field quicker.

The job of the medical assistant is growing steadily as each year passes. There are currently almost 575,000 medical assistants working in the United States today. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the field of the medical assistant will grow by around 31% in the next eight years. That is a significant amount of jobs that will be added to this workforce. As more doctors graduate from medical school, naturally the number of medical assistants needed will increase.

If you want to be a medical assistant in New Mexico, you can look to make around $28,000 a year. The national average annual salary for medical assistants is about $30,000 so that is not that much less than the average. There is no real way to determine how much you will definitely make as that changes by the employer and area where you are employed. If you work in a larger New Mexico city, you will make more than a medical assistant working in a smaller New Mexico city. So, keep that in mind as you contemplate entering the medical assisting career.