The Workforce Institute at St. Petersburg College is offering training for students interested in becoming certified as a Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 23 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. In the Tampa Bay area alone, more than 450 job postings were advertised in June 2016. That is a lot of opportunity.
The growth of the aging baby-boom population will continue to increase demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As their practices expand, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, allowing the physicians to see more patients. The number of positions that should be available in coming years should make this one of the most sought after roles beneath the nursing level.
What do medical assistants do?
Medical assistants work with medical professionals and provide help in a number of clinical duties and administrative jobs. They may help with patient appointments, scheduling medical staff, preparing samples for the lab, recording patient history and retrieving vital information from patients.
Clinical Medical Assistants (CMAs) have different duties, depending on the state where they work. They may do basic laboratory tests, dispose of contaminated supplies and sterilize medical instruments. They may have additional responsibilities, such as instructing patients about medication or special diets, preparing patients for X-rays, removing stitches, drawing blood or changing dressings.
What is the work environment?
Medical assistants held about 591,300 jobs in 2014. The industries that employed the most medical assistants were:
| Offices of physicians | 59% |
| Hospitals: state, local, and private | 15% |
| Offices of other health practitioners | 10% |
| Outpatient care centers | 7% |
What is the average pay for Medical Assistants?
The average annual wage for medical assistants was $30,590 in May 2015. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
In May 2015, the average annual wages for medical assistants in the top industries in which they worked were:
| Outpatient care centers | $32,060 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $31,410 |
| Offices of physicians | $30,830 |
| Offices of other health practitioners | $27,980 |
Training and Certification
At SPC’s Workforce Institute, we offer a Clinical Medical Assistant program that takes less than 5 months to complete. The course work combines online classes, labs and externship experiences and includes the national certification exam. Obtaining certification will increase your career opportunities, pay, job security and subject matter expertise. Additionally, funding and scholarship opportunities may be available to students.
Upcoming CMA Information Session
SPC will be offering a Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) Information Session at the Midtown Campus on Wednesday, July 20, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. The session will be held in Room 236 of the Midtown Jamerson Building located at 1300 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712.
To register for this information session, please complete this survey.
For more information regarding the Clinical Medical Assistant program or other Healthcare training, please contact us at workforce@spcollege.edu or (727) 341-4445.