Wednesday, July 30, 2008

How to Get Career Training

Sometimes a little career training goes a long way. For example, while you may earn a medical assistant's certificate within a year, the emotional rewards and strong job security of medical assisting can last a lifetime. The comfortable salary doesn't hurt either. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the highest ten percent of wage-and-salary medical assistants earned a median annual paycheck of over $36,840 in 2006. If medical assisting isn't your style, you can choose from many other jobs with short training periods, including real estate agent, massage therapist, and wedding planner. Let's examine four careers that usually require eighteen months or less of schooling.

Medical Assistant
The BLS reports that in 2006, the healthcare industry employed fourteen million workers. Medical assistants should have especially strong career prospects. In fact, between the years 2006 and 2016, employment of medical assistants is projected to grow by an astounding thirty-five percent--significantly higher than the average for all industries.

While formal schooling may not be required for all medical assisting jobs, most employers seek to hire well-qualified, educated medical assistants. If you wish to train in medical assisting, you should investigate accredited one-year certificate programs at technical schools and community colleges. Your medical assisting classes can help you learn many valuable skills, including:

• Processing insurance claims
• Handling legal and ethical issues related to patient care
• Bookkeeping
• Operating medical equipment
• Administering patients' medication
• Understanding medical terminology

Besides the educational benefits, your medical assisting program can help match you with possible employers. Make sure to use your school's job center to secure an internship with a local hospital or private doctor's clinic. Not only may an internship allow you to garner valuable on-the-job experience, it can help you decide whether a career in medical assisting would fit your personality.

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