Look for IT training when hiring medical assistants

By Patty Enrado, Contributing Editor
09/24/08


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WASHINGTON - A shortage of healthcare professionals across the board is spiking employer interest in hiring medical assistants. Demand for medical assistants with specific training in computer applications such as practice management software, scheduling, billing and electronic health records is making the category one of the fastest-growing professions through the 2006-2016 decade, according to the U.S. Department of Labor .

Approximately 62 percent of medical assistants work in physician offices, 12 percent are employed by public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities, and 11 percent work in offices of other health practitioners, according to the U.S. Department of Labor . Most of the remainder works in other healthcare settings, including outpatient care centers and nursing and residential care facilities.
According to Judy Jondahl , director of accreditation for the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA ), associate degree programs are putting a bigger focus on information technology skills and requiring IT competency as part of the their curriculum. AAMA recently approved of new standards and requirements for its medical assistant curriculum.

“Multi-skilled medical assistants can be very advantageous to a practice," Jondahl said, noting that many physician practices are scrambling to hire anyone with applicable information technology skills right now. She said medical assistants already are being required to develop expertise in data management of electronic health records and electronic medical records, including hardware and software skills to maintain EHRs, EMRs and anything Internet-related to the medical office.

In the front office, medical assistants need to administer and management patient admission through computerized office billing systems. While in the back office, IT skills play a big role in data gathering of lab samples and basic vital signs.

IT competencies have become more common among large practices, she said.

Here are three things to look for when contemplating upcoming staffing moves:

· Work with local medical assistant programs to identify strong candidates with IT skills

· While certification isn't necessary, choosing certificated medical assistants ensures competency on basic IT systems

· While experienced CMAs can earn, on, average, $38,000 -- about $10,000 more than an entry level CMA -- it may be worth the effort to land a candidate with the skills and knowledge to get to work on Day One. That employee can be come a key trainer and leader when it comes to IT adoption.