Medical professionals bring knowledge and valuable clinical skills to every patient interaction. This helps ensure each visit meets the patient’s care needs and the facility’s standards. However, those who are interested in becoming medical assistants should know that their diploma provides special opportunities, including the chance to join a pediatric practice. Let Prism Career Institute help you better understand pediatric medical assistant jobs and why they should be on your radar.
What Does a Pediatric Medical Assistant Do?
Medical assistants are healthcare specialists who work in a wide variety of environments, including clinics, doctor’s offices, hospitals, and nursing homes. They can even be found in resorts, spas, sports facilities, and amusement parks. While the profession is well-respected and provides the opportunity to build strong professional relationships, those who enter the pediatric field can get even more out of the experience.
Pediatric medical assistants handle many of the same responsibilities as traditional medical assistants, but they work exclusively with infants and children up to the age of 18. They aid doctors and nurses to provide quality care for patients and prevent delays and complications during visits. Some pediatric medical assistant duties include:
- Greeting patients
- Creating a positive and inviting environment
- Recording and updating patient records
- Scheduling appointments and visits for tests and other procedures
- Taking vitals
- Performing x-rays
- Administering vaccinations
- Communicating information to patients, their guardians, and their doctors
- Restocking exam rooms in between visits
- Helping healthcare professionals treat patients
- Handling payments
As you can see, these medical professionals are depended upon for both clinical and administrative tasks, making them valuable team members in any work setting. They are also vitally important to pediatric facilities because they help provide a calming experience for patients and their loved ones who may be stressed or anxious about the visit.
Why Are Pediatric Medical Assistant Jobs on the Rise?
This field has seen healthy growth in recent years, attracting attention from those recently out of high school and those looking to find a new career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assistants, in general, are seeing unprecedented growth, with employment projected to increase by 15% from 2023 to 2033. This means there are expected to be nearly 120,000 job openings each year, on average. This surge in employment opportunities suggests expansive growth well into the future.
Why are pediatric medical assistants especially needed now more than ever? First, as the world population rises, there are more children being born and, therefore, more patients. Second, as science and medicine continue to advance, more and more conditions can be diagnosed and treated. Whether children are suffering from chronic conditions or require special medical needs, those who can offer attentive and personal care are essential for healthcare.
What Skills Will You Need to Excel in a Pediatric Medical Assistant Program?
Aside from a strong grasp of standard clinical and administrative skills that all medical assistants require, you need special qualities when working with children and teenagers. Some traits you will need to exhibit are:
- A calming attitude
- Patience
- The ability to display kindness, compassion, and positivity in the face of stressful situations
- Effective communication skills, especially with children
- Comprehensive knowledge of children’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development
- A desire to help children
The Benefits of Our Medical Assistant Program
At Prism Career Institute, we provide a thoughtfully designed medical assistant program that can be taken at any of our campuses. Day classes are available at all three campuses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Chery Hill and West Atlantic City, New Jersey, but we also offer evening classes at the NJ campuses for those who need to fit their education around a busy lifestyle. The curriculum takes about 40 weeks and requires 720 total course hours. This includes a collection of lecture hours, lab hours, and externship hours.
Throughout your time with us, you’ll learn the special skills you’ll need to master to succeed as a medical assistant. You’ll study clinical procedures, phlebotomy, pharmacology, medical law and ethics, and other important subjects. Because our instructors have real-world experience, you can trust you’re learning information and techniques that will come in handy in your career. We even allow students to take the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), helping you find better employment opportunities and potentially higher wages.
Choose Our Medical Assistant School
There’s something special about the heartwarming feeling pediatric medical assistant jobs provide. The campuses of Prism Career Institute let students in Philadelphia, PA, Cherry Hill, and West Atlantic City, NJ, explore this satisfying profession. Our financial aid department will work with you to make our programs more affordable through loans and grants for those who qualify, and our career services department gives you the resources you need to find opportunities for employment. Contact us today or take our online quiz to learn more.