There are many career opportunities available to anyone wishing to obtain a qualification as a medical assistant. These careers can also be extremely diverse and range from dealing directly with patients to working in an administrative environment.

Before choosing an area of specialization, a student should obtain the necessary qualifications to practice in the general field. Educational institutions such as community colleges, colleges and universities offer a number of specialized programs in this field, and these would include diplomas, certificates, associate degrees and bachelor's degrees. The typical diploma or certificate would take approximately nine months to a year to complete, depending on the program's exact extent, while the associate degree would take two years and the bachelor's degree, four. Should student chooses to study online, they can work at speeds comfortable to them and probably complete the programs far more quickly.

Subjects that students are most likely to encounter while obtaining their qualification include pharmacology, physiology, anatomy and clinical competence. They would also receive a firm grounding in subjects like diseases of the human body, academic strategies for the health care professional and professionalism in health care. After graduation, students would be expected to perform tasks such as assisting doctors with patient examinations, undertaking laboratory tests like electrocardiograms and blood work as well as managing patient records.

A qualified student can also choose whether they would like to practice in mainstream medicine or veterinary medicine. Within mainstream medicine, openings would be available in fields such as anesthesiology, health aid, pathology and pharmacy. Also possible would be careers in the fields of respiratory therapy, communication disorders, physical therapy and alternative medicine. Students can also obtain further qualification in their chosen field and enroll for master's degrees with specialized course concentrations.

Studies have also been undertaken that have determined the median annual salary payable to a medical assistant, and the results of these studies have shown that exact salary levels depend on a combination of what area the practitioners specialized in and how many years experience they had in the field. Practitioners with less than a year's experience will usually start with a salary of approximately $18,000 per year, while those with 5 through 9 years' experience will be paid between $24,000 and $35,000. Those who have been working in the field for 20 or more years, however, will receive annual payments of between $27,500 and $39,000.

Assisting in a hospital or veterinary practice is a very rewarding career, and there are enough different specializations available that a student can choose exactly the field that they want.