Jeffery Said:

are there any "medical assistant" fields that are flexible and make good money?

We Answered:

As an english major you can still get your teacher's certificate and teach english. You would make more money that way then working as a MA. Someone stated something about being a CNA. CNA work you will never exceed 11.00 an our, depending on what state you live in. I am in the south now but I have been up and down the west coast and that's about as high as you will go.

You might look at something in the office of home health agency were you can work from home or be on call. Maybe get a business certficate and you are looking more at 35,000 a year starting.

Anne Said:

Career-wise, would I be better off being a medical assistant or a pastoral (church-based) counselor?

We Answered:

My thoughts are that God will put you where He wants you. Stay still for awhile and you will find it. Don't click on the link above it's spam.There are lots of people out there that have bipolar disorders that might need someone to talk to.So being a counselor and helping younger people with the same problem might be good too!Think about if you had a hard time dealing with it when you were younger and how you dealt with it.Maybe there is a young person not handling it so well. Good luck and remember Go will call you for what he needs. My Mom works for an animal hospital as a human resource director,for her it's about the people she deals with everyday.I am a painter by trade and love to help older people we work for and just be there for them to talk to.(also the occasional trip to the grocery store ;).

Priscilla Said:

What is faster - to pursue an EMT or MA (Medical Assistant/Tech) path? And what would the steps be, ie cert?

We Answered:

Get certified as an EMT or CNA and start working wherever you can. Volunteering is great but most programs don't count it, they want PAID experience.

Miriam Said:

What higher career path can I move towards with a medical assistant degree?

We Answered:

You can't really "move up" you're pretty much stuck there.
Unless you are going to school to become an RN and moving
higher and higher from there. It does help you though, learning
medical terms and learning procedures and what not. It lets you
know if you really want to be in the medical field or not. Well
atleast for me it did.. lol.

Gregory Said:

Medical assistant to a PA? Good career path?

We Answered:

Being an MA and a PA are two totally different careers. Being an MA gives you good experience to list when applying to PA school, but you're going to have to eventually go to college get a bachelor degree or a masters to be a PA. You might already know this, but I couldn't tell from the question.

I went to college and a got a BS in Biomedical Science. After I did that I got a job as an MA in a Derm practice for one year. You don't have to be a certified MA in order to get a job. In fact, if you have a college degree in a related field then you'll probably be considered a better candidate for the job. I'm 95% sure that I wouldn't have gotten into PA school without my job experience.

So in short, yes being an MA is a valuable experience and could help get you into a PA-bachelor's program, or a Masters after you have a bachelor degree. But working and going to PA school at the same time is not an option. I'm not sure what your current situation is, so sorry I can't be a little more specific as to how to go about all this.