Medical assistants are an integral part of healthcare, helping physicians and medical staff with numerous clinical and administrative tasks. Every time you visit a medical office, you interact with a medical assistant. Right now, there is a great demand for qualified medical assistants in California and in the US. If you’re considering starting a career in healthcare, here are some things you probably didn’t know about medical assistants.
Medical Assistants Play an Important Role in Patient Care
It’s no exaggeration to say that medical assistants are the glue that keep every medical office running smooth, and without them, healthcare in the US would grind to a halt. Their role is crucial, as they take care of several crucial administrative and clinical tasks. They are the first and last person patients see during an appointment. They communicate instructions from the physician to the patient in a manner that’s simple, easy to understand. They also convey concerns from the patient to the doctor, acting as a liaison between the two.
Medical Assistant Run the Medical Office
For people who have never worked in healthcare before, this might surprise you, but medical assistants are responsible for running every medical office, keeping patient appointments running on time. They schedule and manage patient appointments, update patient records, take vital signs, administer EKGs, collect patient samples, prepare exam rooms, and are general day to day problem solvers for the entire office. Medical assistants are truly talented people who are good at what they do.
There are Different Types of Medical Assistants
In larger offices, physician’s groups, and hospitals, there are often medical assistants to do clinical tasks, and others to do administrative tasks. In some specialty medical offices, such as chiropractic offices, the medical assistants will be responsible for administrative tasks, almost exclusively.
Clinical medical assistants work on tasks like taking vitals, giving patients basic diagnostic tests, drawing blood, preparing examination rooms, and assisting the physician with basic procedures.
Administrative medical assistants handle tasks like updating medical records, scheduling appointments, answering phones, and other office work.
Many medical assistants will do a combination of both, but in larger healthcare facilities, they may do one of the other.
They Can Specialize in Different Fields
Not every medical assistant works in a general practice medical office or hospital. Many medical assistants work in specialized medical offices, such as oncology, ophthalmology, cardiology, OB/GYN, dermatology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, and more. There are limitless opportunities in different fields of medicine, some with robust salaries.
Medical Assistants Are in Demand
More than ever before, medical assisting is a fast growing career, and qualified candidates are in demand in California and across the US. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that medical assisting will grow by 12% between 2024 and 2034. [1] [2] This is much faster than other professions over the same time period. Every medical office and hospital needs medical assistants, and this need will only increase as the population grows.
Medical Assistants Have Strong Interpersonal Skills
Successful medical assistants are able to communicate equally well with patients and physicians, traversing both with empathy and professionalism. Most of your job as a medical assistant is interpersonal communication. You’ll be called on to be a problem-solver, have good organizational skills, and to be a great communicator.
There are Lots of Places They Can Work
Medical assistants can work in a wide variety of healthcare facilities. More than half of medical assistants work in physician’s offices, but they also work in hospitals, clinics, and outpatient care facilities. There are also some medical assistants working in ambulatory services, long-term assisted living facilities, and even prison medical clinics.
There’s an entire spectrum of workplaces where medical assistants are needed.
Medical Assisting is a Rewarding Career
There are many reasons why people become a medical assistant, but numerous people find it to be a rewarding career. Most medical assistants work a very predictable schedule, making it easy to set appointments and make plans for the rest of their week. Every city and town that has healthcare offices, clinics, or medical centers has a need for medical assistants, so this is a job you can bring to any community. Speaking of community, medical assistants make a tangible difference in their local neighborhoods, providing professional care for their patients. If your career goals change, you can also move into other areas of healthcare.
There are Career Paths Beyond Medical Assisting
Many people get into medical assisting because it fits their short-term goals, but they have other plans for further down the line. When you’re ready to go into the next phase of your career, you can pursue other career paths in healthcare. There are many people in healthcare administration that began as medical assistants. Some MA’s go into radiology tech, others go to nursing school, some go into medical billing and coding. There are plenty of different paths you can take your career from medical assisting.
It Doesn’t Take Long to Get Certified and Start Your Career
Most medical assisting programs are somewhere between six and twelve months long. The Medical Assisting program at Campus Sacramento is between 33 and 48 weeks in length, meaning you can get trained and certified, and start your career in a short amount of time. This is a good way to get into a healthcare career quickly and start earning money.
Become a Certified Medical Assistant at Campus Sacramento
Demand for qualified medical assistants has never been higher, and many medical facilities in Sacramento are hiring. If you want to start your healthcare career, Campus Sacramento has a hybrid Medical Assisting program to help you earn your certification. We offer day and night classes to accommodate students with different schedules. Some of the classwork is done online with some required in-classroom days for clinicals. If you want more information on start dates, tuition, or financial aid, contact our friendly Admissions team or call 888-675-2460.
[1] Note: The data provided in this article is from sources unaffiliated with Campus, formerly known as MTI College, are for informational purposes only and represent the employment field as a whole. They are not solely specific to Campus graduates and, by providing the above information, Campus makes no representation, direct or implied, or opinion regarding employability.
[32 Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm , Retrieved January 21, 2026 .