Jobs in Demand: Medical Assistants

There is no doubt that the medical field has taken on heightened importance in Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of the path of the coronavirus, due to the state’s population growth and aging demographic profile, the need for healthcare support staff will continue to grow. In fact, according to DEED’s Employment Outlook data, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations are projected to rise by 12.4% while healthcare support occupations are slated to increase 14% from 2018 to 2028 in Minnesota. Likewise, Medical Assistants are projected to see 21% job growth, equaling over 2,100 new jobs during this time frame, as well as see almost 4,400 openings due to labor market exits and retirements.

Medical Assistants have a wide variety of tasks, both clinical and administrative, that they perform on a daily basis, including scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records for insurance purposes, taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, and preparing patients for examination.  Many of these job duties are conducted under the direction of a physician, making teamwork an extremely important skill to have as a medical assistant.  Communication is also a critical skill given that some of these job duties are directly related to interaction with the patients themselves, such as acquiring medical histories.  Speaking and active listening are also incredibly important skills, but most important is the desire to assist and care for others. 

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