Occupation Summary

Medical Assistants

O*NET 31-9092.00

Description:

Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.

Annual Wages:
$36,914.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 29.01%.
Education Level:
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Public Service, Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)

  1. Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
  2. Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
  3. Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
  4. Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician.
  5. Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
  6. Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
  7. Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
  8. Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
  9. Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
  10. Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
  11. Schedule appointments for patients.
  12. Change dressings on wounds.
  13. Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.
  14. Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests or admission.
  15. Perform general office duties, such as answering telephones, taking dictation, or completing insurance forms.
  16. Inventory and order medical, lab, or office supplies or equipment.
  17. Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
  18. Set up medical laboratory equipment.
  19. Keep financial records or perform other bookkeeping duties, such as handling credit or collections or mailing monthly statements to patients.
  20. Operate x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), or other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Medical Assistants employed Annual Growth Rate
Offices of physicians 56.7 1.63
General medical and surgical hospitals 14.9 1.54
Outpatient care centers 8.4 2.80
Offices of other health practitioners 8 1.46


Labor Market Information


2022 Statewide average hourly wage $17.75
2022 National average hourly wage $19.57
2020 National employment 720,900
2020 Texas employment 72,039
Texas projected employment by 2030 92,936
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2030 11,638




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
96.00%
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
90.60%
Medicine and Dentistry
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
86.60%
Administrative
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
82.20%
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
75.80%
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
70.00%
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
63.80%
Therapy and Counseling
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
60.80%
Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
59.00%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
57.40%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
80.00%
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
77.60%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
77.60%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
75.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
72.40%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
70.00%
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
70.00%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
70.00%
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
67.60%
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
65.00%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
80.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
80.00%
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
80.00%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
77.60%
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
77.60%
Speech Recognition
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
77.60%
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
75.00%
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
75.00%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
70.00%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
65.00%


  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Working with Computers
    -- Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Documenting/Recording Information
    -- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    -- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    -- Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Other Activities


  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
  • Support
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.



Tools

Alcohol analyzers: Breathalyzers;

Audiometers: Audiometers;

Bedside pulmonary function screeners: Pulmonary function measurement equipment;

Benchtop centrifuges: Centrifuges;

Binocular light compound microscopes: Binocular light compound microscopes;

Blood collection needles: Single draw needles;

Body plethysmographs: Plethysmographs;

Canes: Canes;

Capillary or hematocrit tubes: Microcapillary hematocrit tubes;

Cast cutters or saws: Cast cutters;

Chemistry analyzers: Blood chemistry analyzers;

Crutches: Crutches;

Dictation machines: Dictation equipment;

Dropping pipettes: Pipettes;

Electrocardiography EKG units: Electrocardiography EKG units;

Electronic blood pressure units: Electronic blood pressure measuring devices;

Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment: Electrocautery equipment;

Endotracheal tubes: Endotracheal ET tubes;

Enema kits: Enema equipment;

Eye charts or vision cards: Snellen eye charts;

Eye occluders: Handheld occluders;

Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy: Gait belts;

Hearing aid: Hearing aids;

Hypodermic needle: Subcutaneous hypodermic needles; Intradermal needles; Intramuscular needles;

Keratometers: Keratometers;

Lancets: Lancets;

Lap mayo trays or mayo stands for surgical use: Mayo stands;

Laser printers: Laser printers;

Magnetic stripe readers and encoders: Credit card readers;

Medical acoustic stethoscopes: Mechanical stethoscopes;

Medical gas cylinders or related devices: Oxygen tanks;

Medical imaging wet darkroom or daylight processors: X ray development equipment;

Medical or surgical suction or vacuum appliances: Suction machines;

Medical or surgical suction tubings: Suction tubing;

Medical oxygen masks or parts: Oxygen masks;

Medical radiation films or badges: Dosimetry badges;

Medical syringes with needle: Syringe needles;

Medical syringes without needle: Syringes;

Medical x ray units for general diagnostic use: X ray machines;

Mercury blood pressure units: Manual blood pressuring measurement equipment; Baumanometers;

Microscope slides: Microscope slides;

Nebulizers: Nebulizers; Pulmonary nebulizers;

Non vacuum blood collection tubes or containers: Blood collection vials;

Notebook computers: Notebook computers;

Ophthalmic lensometers: Lensometers;

Ophthalmic retinoscopes: Retinoscopes;

Ophthalmic tonometers: Tonometers;

Ophthalmoscopes or otoscopes or scope sets: Opthalmoscopes; Otoscopes;

Opticians tools: Metric rules;

Orthopedic splint systems: Splints;

Oxygen therapy delivery system products: Oxygen equipment;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

Phlebotomy trays or accessories: Evacuated collection tube holders/adapters;

Scanners: Scanners;

Sigmoidoscopes: Flexible sigmoidoscopy equipment;

Skin staple removers or kits: Staple removers;

Specimen collection container: Culturettes;

Spirometers: Spirometers; Vitalors;

Steam autoclaves or sterilizers: Autoclaves;

Suture removers: Suture removers;

Tablet computers: Tablet computers;

Tourniquets: Tourniquets;

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation units: Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS units;

Tuberculin syringes: Tuberculin TB skin test equipment;

Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers: Evacuated blood collection tubes;

Walkers or rollators: Walkers;

Wheelchairs: Wheelchairs;

Winged infusion needle set: Butterfly needles;


Technology

Accounting software: Billing software; Bookkeeping software; Intuit QuickBooks;

Calendar and scheduling software: Appointment scheduling software;

Categorization or classification software: Diagnostic and procedural coding software;

Cloud-based data access and sharing software: Microsoft SharePoint;

Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access; Data entry software; Database software;

Document management software: IDX Systems Patient Chart Tracking;

Electronic mail software: Email software; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook;

Internet browser software: Web browser software;

Medical software: Visual electro diagnostic software; eClinicalWorks EHR software; Patient management software; Epic Systems; GE Healthcare Centricity EMR; Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS; Electronic medical record EMR software; MEDITECH software; Medical condition coding software; Medical procedure coding software;

Network conferencing software: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server MOSS;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software; Business software applications;

Operating system software: Microsoft Windows Vista Business; Microsoft Windows XP Professional;

Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint;

Spreadsheet software: Spreadsheet software; Microsoft Excel;

Word processing software: Microsoft Word; Word processing software;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Medical Assistants include:
  • 29-2031.00 Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
  • 31-9091.00 Dental Assistants
  • 29-2061.00 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
  • 29-2072.00 Medical Records Specialists
  • 31-1131.00 Nursing Assistants
  • 29-2057.00 Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
  • 29-2099.05 Ophthalmic Medical Technologists
  • 31-2022.00 Physical Therapist Aides
  • 29-1141.00 Registered Nurses
  • 29-9093.00 Surgical Assistants

Contact Texas Workforce Commission
Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.