Degree Name

MSAH (Master of Science in Allied Health)

Program

Allied Health

Date of Award

12-2015

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Deborah Dotson

Committee Members

Susan Epps, Ester Verhovsek

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hiring practices of physicians’ offices as they relate to medical assistants and to gain insight into their hiring preferences. Knowing how physicians and medical office managers view the profession of medical assisting may help medical assisting professionals improve the standing of the profession and provide a consistent foundation for education programs.

I surveyed 15 physicians’ practices in eight states across the country to obtain a cross-country perspective and found that many practices hire credentialed or non-credentialed individuals for clinical positions for various reasons. The reasons were minimally due to the lack of credentialed applicants and more due to personal preferences, financial decisions, and governmental regulations. This study contributes to medical assisting program directors, medical assisting professional organizations, and credentialing agencies in promoting medical assisting.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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