What made you choose a career as a medical assistant?
"I initially thought that I would go to nursing school, as I wanted a career that would allow me to take care of people. However, I also enjoy the behind the scenes work, such as talking to patients on the phone and doing computer work. Knowing I could utilize some of my office skills and care for patients, too, led me to choose the medical assistant role."
"I knew that the time it would take to be a medical doctor was more than I wanted to spend to achieve a career. For me, the next choice was to be a medical assistant. I am so glad that I made this choice, as I feel I am able to provide care to a variety of different people, but I am not limited to only diagnosing or treating a condition. It takes a wide range of people and skills to make a good healthcare team and I love the part that I get to play in it."
In almost every job interview, the interviewer will ask you why you chose your career path. This is the 'get to know you' part of the interview. Even if your chosen path is one with the potential to earn a large salary, do not mention that. Your objective here should be to show that you have a genuine desire to care for the health and well-being of others. If you have a personal experience that led you to this career choice, this would be a good time to share that.
"I always knew I wanted to have a career that would allow me to care for others. I considered several career paths before deciding to become a medical assistant. I felt like this path would give me an opportunity to utilize the administrative skills I have, such as those used with electronic health records, while also being able to have one on one contact with patients."
