Social Psychology
10th EditionElliot Aronson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers, Timothy D. Wilson
525 solutions
Human Resource Management
15th EditionJohn David Jackson, Patricia Meglich, Robert Mathis, Sean Valentine
249 solutions
Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management
12th EditionBarry Render, Chuck Munson, Jay Heizer
1,698 solutions
Operations Management
13th EditionWilliam Stevenson
980 solutions
Recommended textbook solutionsHuman Resource Management
15th EditionJohn David Jackson, Patricia Meglich, Robert Mathis, Sean Valentine
249 solutions
Social Psychology
10th EditionElliot Aronson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers, Timothy D. Wilson
525 solutions
Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management
12th EditionBarry Render, Chuck Munson, Jay Heizer
1,698 solutions
Operations Management
13th EditionWilliam Stevenson
980 solutions
As it continues to grow in size and importance with in the healthcare landscape, the medical assisting field faces a number of challenge. These challenges include:
- Lack of a Standard Scope of Work:
Medical Assistants have varied scopes of work depending upon the state in which they practice, the physician they work under, and their work setting. Medical Assistants who work in short-staffed areas of the country and/or small medical practices tend to perform more
functions than those who work within large, fully-staffed facilities that have more defined roles and restricted scopes of practice. MAs are not licensed in most states, but states such as New York have recently responded to the growing utilization of MAs by officially delineating the tasks that can and cannot be delegated to MAs.
- Lack of Consistent Entry Requirements:
Medical Assistant training is currently delivered through a wide variety of channels, including on-the-job training
(which might not be transferrable between settings); non-credit educational programs of varying lengths; 6- to 12-month credit certificate programs; and 2-year associate degree programs that vary in their mix of administrative and clinical training. This wide range of training options has implications for the skill level of the workforce and quality of care.
- Undefined Career Ladders:
Professions such as nursing have clearly outlined careers paths (e.g., certified nurse's aide (CNA)
-> licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) -> registered nurse (RN) -> nurse practitioner (NP) and beyond) that are missing from the medical assisting field. Innovative organizations create internal pathways for advancement that allow MAs to take on greater responsibility, perform in more varied roles and earn higher pay. Without these defined opportunities for advancement, the field may face difficulties with recruiting and retaining its workforce.
- Lack of
Regulation/Lack of Consensus on the Value of Certification:
Two MA credentials are currently offered, the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) credential governed by the American Association of Medical Assistants and the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential governed by American Medical Technologists (AMT). Most states and employers do not require certification for employment. Although certification does translate into higher salaries, only ~15% of MAs in the United States hold either
the CMA or RMA credential.
- Lack of Oversight/Standardization for Educational Programs:
Two accrediting bodies are recognized by the field- the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). Although the number of accredited programs is on the rise, there are large numbers of unaccredited programs. Given that graduation from an accredited program is not required for practice, many programs have
little impetus to pursue the costly and time-intensive accreditation process.
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