These days, it's common for people to switch jobs about every four years, and a number of those jobs changes are career changes as well, with some experts estimating that people may change careers as many as seven times during their lifetime. People change jobs and careers for any number of reasons, including better pay, more job security, the new job better suiting their interests, or simply wanting a new challenge. People looking for a new job that doesn't require a lot of additional education may want to look into health care support careers, such as medical office administration. This field typically includes medical secretaries and administrative assistants.

Minimal Education Requirements

While some offices will hire medical office administration personnel without any previous education in the field, it's usually easier to find this type of job if you've completed one of the many Medical Office Administration Programs available. These include certificate, diploma, and associate's degree programs, and could include coursework in such subjects as medical ethics, computer skills, accounting, bookkeeping, anatomy, medical office billing and procedures, medical terminology, human resources, and customer service. This means you could be all trained and ready for a new career in less than two years. Many schools offer online training, making it easy to fit your education in while still holding down your current job. Doing a little extra work and taking the required exam to become a Certified Administrative Professional may make you even more attractive to potential employers. Certification is available through the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Well Ranked as a Career

People looking for a job that's less stressful and allows for a good work-life balance may be particularly interested in this field. The U.S. News and World Report ranks medical office administration as the 7th best health care support job, with the ranking process taking into account career fulfillment, salary, opportunities for advancement, stress level, work-life balance, and the number of expected job openings in the career field. 

Salary and Job Growth Expectations

The average yearly salary for people medical office administrators and medical secretaries is about $35,970 as of 2016, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an above-average growth rate for the healthcare administration field of about 23 percent between 2014 and 2024. With the right experience and training, it's possible to advance to a management position, which pays significantly more, averaging about $94,500 per year in 2015. This type of advancement may require further training, such as a bachelor's degree or master's degree in health administration or management.

Check out http://www.ict.edu/ for more information if you're interested in a career in medical office administration.