With the nation’s economy still sluggish, many young people find themselves either unemployed or underemployed at low-level jobs with little or no future. They’re seeking alternative careers that provide better income, stability and self-respect.

Many people are gravitating toward a medical assisting career. They are choosing to become a medical assistant for better working conditions and the prestige the field offers. The professional environment of a doctor’s office or clinic can represent a major improvement for someone who has been previously working in an entry-level job in the general service economy.

“For people without a college degree or professional training, career opportunities are often limited,” says Wendy Cullen, vice president of employer development at Everest College. “Today, entry-level jobs for high school graduates tend to be concentrated in the areas of food service, retail, hospitality and customer service. If you’ve been running a cash register or working in a call center, becoming a medical assistant and working in a doctor’s office can be a big step up in responsibility, job satisfaction and, yes, even income.”

Cullen notes that the daily routine of a medical assistant can be significantly different from other entry-level jobs a young worker may have previously had.

“For one, medical assistants work with patients one-to-one,” Cullen says. “They usually take patient histories, measurements, vital signs and may even draw blood for testing. They often have to be both a technician and have a good bedside manner, helping to quell fears and elicit cooperation from patients. There’s a lot of psychology involved in medical assisting you don’t find in other careers at that level.”

Medical assistants also spend a good deal of time on their feet.

“While many medical assistants have ample time to sit down while writing up patient charts and other documents, they also spend much of the day moving about, which many people enjoy,” Cullen says. “Being medical offices, the working areas also tend to be very clean, neat, organized and comfortable. It’s a professional environment, one the assistants can usually take great pride in.”

Many medical assistants are also able to work just part-time, so as to have time to attend to their children and other family obligations, Cullen adds.

Although the availability of medical assistant jobs varies city to city, the demand for trained medical assistants is generally strong, despite the continuing economic downturn. Employment opportunities for medical assistants nationwide is “projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2008 – 2018 decade,” reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as published on Dec. 17, 2009. “Job opportunities (for medical assistants) should be excellent, particularly for those with formal training or experience, and certification.”

Being part of the rapidly growing health care industry, the long-term demand for medical assistants also appears to be strong. “Health care will generate 3.2 million new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population,” according to the BLS.

Still, as with most skilled occupations, training and experience are key to establishing a new medical assisting career or to improve chances at earning a good medical assistant salary.

“Medical assisting requires at least nine months to a year of specialized medical assistant training,” Cullen says. “Fortunately, a high school diploma or its equivalency is generally good enough to begin medical assistant training. This is another factor that makes medical assisting attractive to people who don’t want to – or can’t – afford to take the time to get an associate or bachelor’s degree from a community or four-year college.”