A medical assistant’s job is a mix of traditional office work, including manning the front desk, answering phones and filing insurance forms, as well as hands-on tasks, such as preparing blood for lab tests, administering injections as permitted and making sure medical histories are accurately recorded. More specialized roles include assisting ophthalmologists or optometrists with basic vision tests and helping patients learn to insert, remove and care for contact lenses.

A routine visit to the doctor is really a visit with an entire team, including a growing number of medical assistants. Medical assistants are likely the first and last faces you’ll see during any medical appointment, either in your doctor’s office or at a larger medical organization.

The aging baby boomer population will help drive demand for more medical assistants, who will be needed to support doctors and nurses as they diagnose and treat patients. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 13.9% employment growth for medical assistants between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 105,900 jobs should open up.

Though some medical assistants can enter the field with a high school diploma, many employers prefer to hire candidates who have graduated from a postsecondary training program. There are a variety of one-year certification programs or two-year associate degrees offered that teach students things including laboratory techniques, clinical procedures, medical terminology and record keeping.