Full Careers

Is it possible to become a medical assistant w/o the training class?

I know these career schools crank out MA's like nobody's business, but I am wondering if it would be possible to be hired as an MA just with on the job training. I have a BA degree in another area that I am not using, have a CNA certificate, and have taken medical terminology as well as all the usual nursing pre-reqs. I am looking to advance to higher pay and a greater scope of practice, but am in a deadlock until I get accepted somewhere for nursing school. Would something else like plebotomy be a better option to combine with my CNA certificate for my temporary career? What if I took free computer certification courses at work to learn various microsoft applications? Other thoughts? **Pay no attention to that TC badge, I actually know very little about health-care, but answer unpopular questions. When you are the only answerer, of course you will get best answer for that question.

Public Comments

1. No. People usually look for medical assistants who have completed a formal medical assisting program which includes exposure to medical terms. Being proficient in basic Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is a plus as well. It's also a good idea to learn how to draw blood too. Having on-the-job training is good, but having a formal education someplace is considered better in the eyes of most employers. If anything, a good temporary career to pursue would be phlebotomy because the hours are more likely to be flexible and someone who knows how to draw blood is always a plus. In my opinion, if you plan on becoming a nurse, you'll have it made if you learned how to draw blood at some point in your career.
2. It is actually possible. You do not need to have any formal training to work in a private medical office--the doc can train you to do anything. It just may be harder. However, you are not completely "untrained" and can use your other certificates to your advantage as well. Your best bet would be in smaller offices where you have a better chance of selling yourself & get on site training than to a large group where you might only meet with a person well-removed from the actual job. Computer training never hurts any job at all--even in your personal life in my book. The more things you can do to make the office run smoother, the better poised you are at getting a good job. There are plenty of "graduated" MAs that I wouldn't hire if they were the last person on earth (those mills are doing no one a favor here)--so perservere. LOL on the TC badge--took me forever to get mine & lost the medicine one over the summer as well!!
3. It is impossible to become a surgeon without the training class, but it's possible for a job like that.