Medical assistants typically have a greater role in patient care, and may perform tasks like taking vital signs, providing injections or medications or aiding in patient exams.

Medical office/administrative assistants practice in a clerical role rather than in direct patient care, responsible for organizing patient records, scheduling appointments, answering phones or filing paperwork.

Medical assistants can hold a variety of titles, roles and responsibilities based on the employer. There are two broad types of medical assistants:

• Clinical medical assistants. These medical assistants focus on patient care, including taking vital signs, drawing blood, visual/hearing tests, preparing exam rooms for procedures, communicating with physicians, and much more. Our medical assisting program is designed for students seeking these kinds of roles working directly in patient care.
• Administrative medical assistants. Sometimes referred to as “front office medical assistants,” administrative assistants handle scheduling, patient records, insurance claims and additional accounting/billing tasks to help the delivery of healthcare run smoothly. These types of medical assistants can specialize their education in a medical office administration program.

Experienced medical assistants, particularly on the clinical side, may specialize in a certain type of care or age group, such as pediatrics, obstetrics, cardiology, orthopedics, or many others.

Yes! There are many benefits to working in medical office administration, including the ability to build your skills in a growing field and open opportunities to propel your career to the next level.

With Herzing University you have a lifelong learning partner who strives to empower you to become possible.

If you like people and are detail oriented, medical office administration could be a great career field. A career as a medical office administrator could be right for you, if you:

• Enjoy helping others
• Like working in an office setting
• Are compassionate and supportive
• Enjoy working with paperwork and on a computer
• Work equally well alone or as part of a group
• Like clear guidelines
• Appreciate a common-sense approach to problems
• Have good people and communication skills

Specific roles and responsibilities will vary by position. Medical office administrators and assistants typically perform a variety of clerical duties, including answering phones, scheduling appointments, processing & organizing patient records, bookkeeping & accounting tasks, and other customer support.

Work environment

Jobs in medical administration are most often found in an office environment within a healthcare facility. A typical work week for full-time employees is 40 hours, Monday–Friday with the possibility of paid overtime, depending on the employer.  Employers may additionally offer benefit packages which may include health insurance, paid vacation, and a retirement savings plan such as profit-sharing or 401(k). Some employers also have part-time opportunities available.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical secretaries (also regarded as “administrative assistants”) earn an average salary of $43,380 per year—$20.85 per hour.*

The BLS projects a 7% increase in employment from 2022-2032.

How much you can expect to make will depend largely on the precise responsibilities of the job, your level of education & experience, and the state in which you work. Because of the many duties, responsibilities and job titles in this field, pay can vary widely.

Herzing University offers several online degree pathways in the field of healthcare, including associate degrees in:

• Medical Office Administration
• Medical Assisting
• Insurance Billing and Coding Specialist
• Medical Coding
• Health Information Management
• Healthcare Administration

And bachelor’s degree options in:

• Healthcare Administration
• Health Information Management
• Health Sciences

Students looking to build a bachelor’s degree combining healthcare with another concentration may consider a degree in interdisciplinary studies. You can choose two concentrations to merge foundational education in healthcare administration with business, criminal justice or network security.

Our goal is to provide the educational pathway you need to discover the healthcare career you’ve always wanted.

Earning a degree isn’t always required to become a medical office administrator (or administrative assistant), although applicants holding an associate degree may have an edge over those with only a certificate or no formal training at all.

Herzing’s diploma program in medical office administration, typically completed in as little as 1 year, is built to help you get the education you need to earn your first professional job in medical office administration.

Becoming certified isn’t always required by employers, but our goal is to empower you to become as employable as possible and thrive in your new career. Earning certification can help you earn the job you really want.

The Herzing medical office administration program curriculum includes preparation for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) exam, offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)—and Herzing pays for your first attempt! Becoming a CMAA gives you the professional credentials many healthcare employers are searching for.

All students enrolled in the Medical Office Administration program are required to sit for the CMAA certification exam.