by Natalie Peeterse
npeeterse@armystudyguide.com
Army Study Guide Columnist If your current MOS is in the medical department branch, you can take the years of experience you have gathered and translate them into a
civilian career as a medical assistant
. Take the discipline and work ethic you honed in the service, along with your compassion and ability to work with people, and get to work. Earning your
health care degree online before you leave the service will ensure a smooth transition.
Without hardworking medical assistants, the offices of many physicians would stop running. They ensure things run smoothly by managing administrative and clinical tasks with efficiency. Along with greeting patients and organizing medical records, medical assistants take vital signs and prepare patients for exams and procedures. They also draw blood, take electrocardiograms and remove sutures, among other important tasks. Some work in specialized offices, such as those of podiatrists and ophthalmologists.
Earn a Health Care DegreeIn 2004,
medical assistants
made between $24,000 and $34,000. A medical assistant with the right training is always more likely to be hired than those without. Degree programs in health care provide coursework in anatomy, medical terminology, physiology, recordkeeping and accounting. Passing a national certification examination is also an important element to entering this field. You can begin preparing for this exam, and completing a
health care degree online, right now, no matter where you are stationed. You will be earning promotion points, too. And it will could free--use your tuition benefits!
SourceBureau of Labor StatisticsAbout the AuthorNatalie Peeterse lives in Washington, D.C. She is a freelance writer and teaches on-line courses to soldiers.
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