Our population is growing older, and our economy is getting sicker. This is a very ominous combination – yet it also creates possible opportunities for people looking into medical careers. A career in medical assistant work — a medical secretary, medical technician, orderly, dental assistant, or certified medical assistants – would offer a degree of security found in few other professions.

Health care is a growing concern for both private practitioners and the federal government – which has been providing an increasing amount of money for job training programs, including medical training programs. Nursing assistants are particularly valuable, given that the aging population will need an increasing amount of hands-on care. Nursing programs are available through universities, junior colleges, and community colleges. Nursing assistant schools are even becoming more accessible online. It’s vitally important to make sure that the institution from which you get nursing assistant training is properly certified.

After finishing coursework in the classroom or online, a short period of unpaid, supervised internship called a “practicum” generally precedes certification. The certification exam will be administered by a professional association, such as the Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). A small, non-refundable membership fee will be required in order to join a professional association for certified medical assistants and to take the certification exam. After you’ve passed the test and gotten your certification, you will be subject to periodic re-certification, which means that you will have to make an effort to keep up-to-date on relevant professional information, and keep your skills finely honed.

An AAMA certificate may be the most important professional credential – apart from an academic degree – that a nursing assistant can possess. Some states will also require that you obtain a state-issued license as well.
Nursing assistants will be in acute demand in the future – but it’s always a good idea to hone your competitive edge. Medical careers can be long and successful, or short and frustrating. A nursing assistant can find work tedious or terrifying, exhausting or exhilarating, infuriating or ennobling – or some combination of all of these, in the same shift. This is a competitive field and health care providers are becoming more demanding, even as the demands on themselves increase. The AAMA reportedly receives upward of 100 employer inquiries a day from health care institutions seeking to verify the background and qualifications of current or would-be employees, including nursing assistants. If this is a career you desire, get the proper education and professional training, the correct certification, a proper license, and keep your certification current.