If there's one thing an employer likes, it's someone who can perform many tasks. Medical assistants fit the bill.
"The reason that clinics like medical assistants is that they're cross-trained," explained Stacey Wanovich, a faculty member in Anoka Technical College's medical assistant program (anokatech.edu). "They're a lot of bang for the buck, and nowadays everyone is trying to cut costs."
Certified medical assistants mostly work in clinics, administering injections, taking blood pressure readings, drawing blood, performing common laboratory tests, working with medical records, scheduling patients and performing electrocardiograms. They often greet patients and escort them to examination rooms and assist providers with procedures.
Minnesota state WorkForce Centers have been referring job-seekers to the Anoka Tech program, which has seen enrollment skyrocket in the past two years, according to Wanovich.
From cubicle to exam room
Recent graduate Mark Ziemer, 51, saw his software development job go overseas and decided to do something completely different. An externship at the end of his program at Anoka Tech led to a job at Allina Hospitals & Clinics Champlin clinic. There, he primarily assists one physician, rooms patients, takes vital signs, administers vaccines, prepares the procedure room, and makes phone calls.
"This is vastly different than what I did before," Ziemer said. "When I did the software, I'd type back and forth to the guy in the next cube."
Ziemer studied physics and chemistry in high school, and had vowed never to "touch the gooey biology stuff." Going back to school was frightening, but Ziemer was surprised by how much he enjoyed his classes and likes the interactions at work.
