Male Medical Assistants

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	Male Medical Assistants

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Men In Medical Assisting

Historically, men have been discouraged to become medical assistants... Nobody knows for sure what the numbers of men working in medical assisting actually are today, but from what we can tell it still remains remarkably low. Although when asked, men agree that they are very interested in becoming a medical assistant, when looking at reality one can only assume that men are not offered the same job opportunities as their female counter parts. Why is that so?

weisy wrote us this:

Sep 15th, 2007 - 1:15 AM

Re: Re: No wonder so many can't find a job

I graduated from Everest College in 2005 with a AAS in medical assisting (the name of the school was different at that time). The education provided was very good. One has to remember it is geared for a medical assistant, not for a registered nurse. Also you have to think about the broad range of healthcare facilities you may work in. For example, my externship was in a physical rehabilitation clinic. I worked the front desk, but my back office was conducted in giving pool therapy classes and assisting the physical therapists. I also have worked in cardiology, mental health, and where I'm currently employed in internal medicine (government facility). I'm considered to be a nursing assistant, not an MA. Still, no matter where I worked - I always gave it my best. It is all healthcare! I graduated at the age of 49 and I'm a male.

Could It Be Deep Rooted Misconceptions?

The persistence of misconceptions and cultural bias plays a big role. Not only employers have certain misconceptions about what a medical assistant should look like and men in scrubs, but also educators.

Is It Unequal Pay That Keeps Men Away? Male and female medical assistant.

Wages play another important role when jobs are being offered and sought. Pay inequity is another reason for only few men entering into the medical assisting career. Traditionally men are the main breadwinner of the family and they need jobs that pay well and offer benefits but employers rarely pay more than what they must. Pay bias with relatively low hourly wages for medical assistants compared to other allied health careers and lack of benefits such as health insurance coverage, paid vacations and group retirement plans are not attracting or keeping men in those positions. And so the gender gap in the medical assisting field remains!

Male Medical Assistants

Men are Interested In Becoming Medical Assistants But:

It's the lack of employer's awareness and acceptance that contributes significantly to keeping the numbers of men in the medical assistant profession low. Men themselves often cling to ideas that men who display caring attitudes toward sick and elderly aren't real men. They will find very few other men willing to talk about working in care giving roles to find out if this career is for them. The situation is perpetuated by highly feminized images and pictures in the media and in magazines showing almost always women in nursing and healthcare jobs.

Stereotypical and Sexist...

One of the reasons why so few men are found working in medical offices are the false ideas about the role and function of men in a medical office. Employers who hire, too, believe that nursing and hands-on medical procedures best belong into the hands of a woman.

Each employer begins the selection of possible candidates with a well-established system of beliefs about what a medical assistant should look like. During the pre-employment interview it is the interviewer's deep rooted stereotypical misconceptions and concerns about the stigma of a man's suitability for the medical office environment which is hindering the male applicant's efforts when applying. And when you have a male healthcare provider heading a medical office the picture of a friendly smiling female welcoming patients is what they envision (sexism). Even most female healthcare providers running a medical office see it this way.

What should I say to men working in medical assisting?

It's probably easier to tell you what not to say. Don't say, it's so nice to have a man around, or you're not like all those other men. By saying these things you are somehow separating these men from the rest. Male medical assistants aren't any different from others. If medical assisting is to fulfill its potential of providing quality care in a modern healthcare system, then sincere efforts should be made to attract, recruit and train more men into available medical assisting positions.

Correcting Misconceptions about Men in Medical Assisting

Read: Misconceptions