All United States military branches make use of trained medics to keep soldiers healthy while at duty. Once military medics come home, however, what’s next for them? Prism Career Institute offers a brief look into one of the top career options for military medics: medical assisting. Here, we explain what medical assisting is like and how to become a medical assistant when your service contract has ended.
What Is a Medical Assistant?
If you’re a current or former military medic looking for a civilian career, medical assisting is a great choice. As a medical assistant, you’ll be supporting doctors and nurses in a clinic or physician’s office. Your role may be wholly clinical, administrative, or some combination of both, depending on the specifics of the job and how the workplace is structured.
Medical assisting is also one of the fastest-growing career fields in the nation. As a result, qualified medical assistants are in high demand. More and more positions are opening in offices, care facilities, and beyond, and qualified candidates are needed to fill them. It’s easier than ever to find a gainful position as a medical assistant, and you can expect a stable job with plentiful opportunities for career growth going forward.
Obtaining Civilian Certification
The certifications needed to become a medical assistant are different than military qualifications. Before you start shopping for a job, it’s a good idea to research what certifications you’ll need in your area of interest. Also, look into the skills you have and think about whether they’ll transfer well. For instance, many military medics have experience in clinical settings and even hold a technical specialty. Unlike a civilian medical assistant, however, they may lack administrative skills such as:
- Updating and filing patient medical records
- Coding and filling out insurance forms
- Managing schedules full of appointments
- Handling billing and bookkeeping
Getting Your Education
If you’re set on becoming a medical assistant and have done your research, your next step is to find out where to earn your necessary certifications. Some employers may be willing to train you on the job, especially if you’re looking at a primarily clinical position. It’s also worth investigating the resources provided by the military, as some segments will offer you an easy path to obtaining civilian certifications. The Army and Navy, for example, use Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) to help personnel get a head start, while the Air Force uses their Credentialing and Education Research Tool (CERT).
You may discover, however, that going back to school is your best option. Luckily, most medical assistant programs take only ten months to two years to complete. Training at Prism Career Institute to qualify as a medical assistant is only 10 months, and is a great opportunity to build upon your skillset and become a more desirable employee at civilian practices.
Learn More Today
If you’re a current or former military medic looking for new opportunities, Prism Career Institute has you covered. In Cherry Hill and West Atlantic City, New Jersey, we offer a career-focused Medical Assistant training program that can teach you everything you need to know to get started in this rewarding profession. Contact us to find out more about why medical assisting is a great career option after being a military medic.