60 Weeks to a Health Care Career

The next time you have a doctor’s appointment, note how much time you actually spend with your personal physician vs. how much time you spend with medical office support staff. If you are like most people, you might find you spend more time with the office assistants and medical support staff than you do with your doctor.

I have nothing against doctors; I love mine!

As a career management professional, I often get asked about employment trends and ways to recession proof careers. Because of that, I am always observing the workplace, the roles people play, how organizations function and whether or not employees are a "fit" for their roles. I am also always scouting new opportunities to share with readers.

During my last visit to my doctor to remove stitches from the sole of my right foot, I noticed how much of my time I spent with medical office assistants.

The medical office assistants and staffers did everything from verifying my insurance eligibility, retrieving my charts and collecting my co-pay. The assistants in the front office who worked with me were energetic, friendly and showed real interest in hearing about the freak accident where I stepped on the neck of my son's Double Bass, which he had left laying across the living room floor, in the dark.

It made me think about how important these medical office assistants are to smooth operations of healthcare offices whether they are working in my doctor’s private office, in hospitals, insurance companies or with local, state or federal government agencies.

As our demographics continue to shift due to longer life expectancy, the Department of Labor reports that the health care sector, is expected to account for about 3.6 million new wage and salary jobs up to 2014. The health care industry is focused on attracting new labor to meet growing demand in these allied health professions. Since many of the front line, high demand jobs in the sector, like medical office assistants, do not require a four year degree, many schools, are making medical office assistant training available.

If you know a displaced employee, a recent graduate who has not yet landed the right opportunity or someone thinking about changing careers, urge them to consider a career in health care.

The field is growing and pending health care reforms will make the industry a hot area for employment for the foreseeable future.