Medical asst or surgical tech?

Question

i am a student going to a tech. school, is anyone a med. assistant or surg. tech? If so, how much do you make, and how do you enjoy it?

Answer 1

I was a surg tech and I specialized in ophthalmology - I made about $40,000 a year and hated every minute of it! I went into clinic administration and have run several medical clinics over the past 10 years and hated that too. I just had my first baby and stopped working and I'm going in a different field all together. Photography. Out of your two choices though and years in this field -- I'd pick surg tech -- you do a lot of cooler stuff. Good Luck to you!

Answer 2

I'm in school to be a medical assistant and although i have at least 3 more quarters to go, i have researched it quite a bit. While surgical techs do tend to make more hourly and have a larger yearly salary, there are people like me, who refuse to be in the middle of a surgery and do not want to be on 24/7 call. That's not for me, but i did want to be in the healthcare business which is why i chose medical assisting. They generally make a lil over 30,000 a year, depending on the hospital or private practice you work for and the state you live in. They tend to do both administrative and clinical duties and that appeals to me. I guess it's just really all up to what you feel like you can see yourself doing as a career. I do have a friend, however, who went to school to be a surg. tech. and although she is making a wonderful entry level salary, she works a 9 hour day, 5-6 days a week, and that doesn't include her on-call shifts. Her pay is great, but she is always claiming to be miserable, and says there isn't enough money in the world to compensate for all the bullsh*t she has to put up with in a day's work. So....hope this helps you a lil bit...