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Medical Office Administration or Medical Assistant?

I am trying to decide to go to school for Medical Assistant or for Medical Office Administration. There is a two year waiting period for nursing as well as physical therapist assistant and many other programs at the local colleges. The two programs that I can get into are Medical Office Administration and Medical Assistant The school offers a 12 month class for Medical Office Administration and a 16 month class for Medical Assistant. Neither one offers a degree but a Certificate. This is an accredited College that is available for Pell Grants from FASFA. Brookstone College of Business in Greensboro North Carolina and it's not a cheap school at $16,800 for Medical Assistant $12,000 for Medical Office Administration There is also an internship near the end of the school program. and a job placement specialist and so far all of their graduates have all got jobs. Right now I am just trying to choose between the two. The person I spoke with at the school told me that Medical Assistant's make more money, and men in the field are in high demand. The problem is that everything I see online tells me that Medical Office Administration makes more money. I have searched Salary.com and a few other places. Has anyone here worked at either, or know someone who has. I am not planning on doing any additional education years later to become a nurse or anything so whatever I choose would be a the career path I go into. My questions are these 1) Which position makes more money? 2) Which position would be easier to get? 3) What is a typical day like for these two positions?

Public Comments

1. I am trained as a Medical Secretary (another name for Medical Office Administration) and depending on the particular specialty that one wants to work in the Medical Assistant may actually make more. Also the salary can vary from one State to another or even from one city to another. With Medical Assisting the person also learns some of the basic front office stuff like answering the phone, filing charts (if the office is using paper charts still). They may also help with scheduling patient appointments whether it's for a new patient or an established patient. They may also have to talk to insurance companies to help with getting procedures that a doctor is doing for a patient's care authorized. Then they also do the back office duties which consist of things like checking a patient in by taking their vital signs like blood pressure, temperature, and weight. They will also get some additional information about patient history as to why they are there. Then they will take the patient to the exam room and bring out a gown for the patient to put on depending on what is being examined. After that is done they will go and clean up other exam rooms to get them ready for the next patient to be put in the room. They will also answer calls from patients that left messages earlier in the day asking for information from their doctor such as about symptoms they may be having. The Medical Office Administrative takes care of strictly the front office. With this position they will greet the patient when they sign in before their appointment. They will also tell them about any balances that are due if more than just a co-pay is involved. They will also take messages from patients such as in the example given above. When they take the message they will attach it to the chart and put it where the Medical Assistant can get a hold of it and get in touch with the doctor about whatever is going on. They will schedule appointments for patients whether new or established (this is one of their regular duties). They will also do regular filing of patient charts (if there are paper charts in the practice). They will also sort through the mail that comes to the practice to determine which piece of mail goes to which doctor (if there is a partnership). They may also make travel arrangements for the doctor if the doctor is going to go on a business trip such as a conference for their profession. As for which of these professions is easier to get in to I would say that the Medical Office Administrative position will be easier to get in to depending on the requirements of the program. If you have other questions for me please feel free to e-mail me off site any time.