How To Become A Student Medical Assistant-Externship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a student medical assistant-externship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

A student medical assistant-externship provides administrative and clinical assistance to physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers in running medical tests and tending to patient needs during a specified period.

Taking part in externships provides significant knowledge and experience in the healthcare field since it opens the opportunities to render patient care and learn directly from physicians and nurses. The student medical assistant-externship deals with patients' medical history and verifies and updates patient records. They monitor and ensure that the practices in the facility adhere to the set guidelines. Their tasks also include performing swabs, administering injections, ordering lab tests, and collecting lab specimens under the supervision of a physician.

To become a student medical assistant-externship, candidates must undergo and pass a diligent evaluation. People in the position of student medical assistant-externship usually aspire to become medical assistants or other medical professionals. The length of the externship may last an entire semester or a few years, depending on their college or institution.

What general advice would you give to a student medical assistant-externship?

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

Faculty Coordinator of Allied Health/Medical Assistant Program Director, Midstate College

-LIKE- People who enjoy working as a Medical Assistant do it because they get a
great satisfaction from help other people. They are often the first contact with the
patient in the medical facility, which sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
They feel good making sure that their patients have the right information that they
need, the appropriate medical care they need, and helping patients feel better.
Good problem-solving skills, compassion, understanding, patience and keeping
up with a fast-paced office is very rewarding.
-DISLIKE- Some Medical Assistants have determined that there are
area/tasks/etc. that they dislike, listed below are some of these things:
 You’re always around people who are sick
 Long work hours can include 10 or 12-hour days
 Lower starting salary, which is usually based on education and
experience level
 Having to deal with stressful situations and difficult patients
 Dealing with patients who are angry, cranky, anxious or not feeling well
 Working under pressure from extremely tight deadlines

ScoreStudent Medical Assistant-ExternshipUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,588

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 9.44%

Black or African American 11.95%

Hispanic or Latino 22.42%

Unknown 4.69%

White 50.68%

Gender

female 76.18%

male 23.82%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a student medical assistant-externship

Explore student medical assistant-externship education requirements

Most common student medical assistant-externship degrees

Bachelor's

44.6 %

Associate

25.6 %

Diploma

9.2 %

Start to develop specific student medical assistant-externship skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	35.12%
Vital Signs	11.35%
EKG	5.14%
CPR	4.63%
Data Entry	2.98%

Complete relevant student medical assistant-externship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New student medical assistant-externships learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a student medical assistant-externship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real student medical assistant-externship resumes.

Gain additional student medical assistant-externship certifications

Student medical assistant-externship certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific student medical assistant-externship certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for student medical assistant-externships include Medical Assistant and Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (NHA).

More About Certifications

Research student medical assistant-externship duties and responsibilities

Perform EKG's, ear cleanings, injections, nail cultures and assist with women's yearly physicals.
Gain experience in performing routine patient care interventions while developing strong organizational skills while caring for patients.
Shadowed/Assist official personnel on performance of special procedures, patient evaluation, transporting patients, therapeutic exercises and body mechanics/functional mobility.
Observe various departments and operations within the hospital and clinical setting environment including surgery, radiology, urology, and emergency.

Prepare your student medical assistant-externship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your student medical assistant-externship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a student medical assistant-externship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable student medical assistant-externship resume templates

Build a professional student medical assistant-externship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your student medical assistant-externship resume.