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Careers beyond medical assisting: what comes next?
By advancing your medical assistant career, you could earn your next degree and become a healthcare manager, healthcare administrator, or nurse!
Medical assistants are becoming an increasingly important part of the healthcare team, as hospitals and healthcare facilities strive to accommodate the needs of a growing patient population.
In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates employment for medical assistants will grow by as much as 16 percent through 2031, well above average rate for all occupations.*
While increased demand may improve the outlook for how much medical assistants make, you can utilize your experience as an MA and medical assisting degree to advance your career to the next level. With experience, medical assistants can specialize and move into leadership roles, filling another vital healthcare workforce need. By advancing their education, they can become healthcare managers, healthcare administrators, nurses and more.
Ready to take your healthcare career to the next level? Check out some of these fast-growing career options beyond the medical assistant role.
1. Healthcare management
Many students who start out as a medical assistant choose to advance their education with a bachelor’s degree in health administration or management. Graduates of a healthcare management program can pursue advanced roles in a variety of healthcare industries, including insurance, healthcare policy, healthcare finance, and information management, as well as various clinical settings.
The BLS reports that organizations have a growing need for healthcare managers to plan, direct and coordinate health services. They project 28% employment growth for medical and health services managers between 2022-2032.* The average salary for medical services managers is $134,440 per year ($64.64 per hour), according to BLS data.
Healthcare management job titles include:
- Physician Practice Manager
- Health Care Administrator
- Patient Finance Manager
- Health Insurance Manager
- Managed Care Representative
- Healthcare Department Manager
While a bachelor's degree can help you qualify for these types of roles, you can really separate yourself from the pack by earning a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration to advance your education and better prepare for leadership positions.
2. Health information management
Health information careers are experiencing rapid growth as organizations invest in electronic medical record-keeping. As a result, there is a growing demand for managers with knowledge of health information systems to ensure that patient data is recorded accurately and securely.
Similar to medical assistants, HIM professionals need strong analytical, problem-solving and communication skills. For medical assistants with administrative experience, a bachelor’s degree in health information management can provide the additional technical training needed to pursue roles as a health information technician or clinical data specialist, or leadership roles such as HIM Project Manager or HIM Director.
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3. Health sciences
Medical assistants looking to complete a bachelor’s degree and advance their allied health career to the next level may consider earning a bachelor’s degree in health science.
Health sciences can offer many unique career paths in health and wellness, fitness and nutrition, health policy and community healthcare roles. Current healthcare professionals, including medical assistants, may build upon their current experience and education to earn their bachelor’s degree faster and better qualify for the next level of managerial-level roles in their fields.
Learn more about what you can do with a health science bachelor's degree - it can open many doors for medical assistants looking to take the next big career step.
4. Nursing
There is a critical, widening gap between the demand for healthcare services and availability of qualified nursing professionals. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for RNs will increase by as much 6 percent nationwide by 2031.
The nationwide demand for nurses is creating new career advancement opportunities for medical assistants, as well as other healthcare professionals.
“I have always wanted to help people, and a career as a medical assistant is a great way to do that,” says Tiffany Norfleet, who earned her medical assisting degree at Herzing in 2018. “But my next step is to further my education by attending nursing school.”
A career in nursing not only provides increased job stability and earning potential, but it also offers an opportunity to direct and manage patient care, as well as pursue specialties in pediatrics, ambulatory care, oncology or other areas to become one of many different types of nurses.
Medical assistants can advance to RN by earning an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing, then passing the NCLEX-RN. Or, they can take a shorter path by going from MA to LPN and start working as a practical nurse before pursuing the RN path.
Often, medical assistants can earn credit for previous coursework and professional healthcare experience, accelerating their transition to a new career.
Job market insights and information is developed and provided by Lightcast. Herzing University makes no representations or guarantees that graduation from its programs will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth. For information regarding student outcomes, please visit our Consumer Disclosures page. For support with career resources, please contact us by phone at (866) 208-3344 or email at careerdevelopment@herzing.edu.
Herzing’s medical assisting program prepares students for different types of roles in medical assisting, while providing a clear pathway for upward mobility. Graduates of Herzing’s medical assisting program can apply credits toward bachelor’s degrees in Healthcare Administration or Health Information Management, or one of Herzing’s various nursing degree programs.
In fact, students who complete an associate in medical assisting can earn a bachelor’s in healthcare administration in as little as 16 months. Additionally, students in the bachelor’s degree program can get a head start on earning an Master of Business Administration (MBA) through a dual credit option. The MBA is designed to prepare students with the strategic skills and business acumen required for healthcare leadership roles.
Not sure which path is right for you? Check out our tips for choosing the right healthcare degree program, and start your path to career advancement today.
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* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.