Many specialties provide you with opportunities for rewarding and challenging work as a medical assistant. You might enjoy working in the specialty of internal medicine, assisting doctors who diagnose and treat disorders and diseases of the body's internal organs. In such a practice you might assess patients for chronic fatigue syndrome or help detect possible substance abuse. You could perform or assist with diagnostic testing such as urine and blood tests and bacterial cultures. You might educate patients on diseases of aging, infectious diseases, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Pediatrics might provide interesting and satisfying work, especially if you like working with children. Your primary responsibilities would involve educating parents or caregivers, preparing children for examination, and detecting child abuse. Specific duties might include performing a scoliosis examination, assisting in regular checkups, and performing a throat culture to test for strep. Your role as an educator could involve providing facts on sudden infant death syndrome to parents or giving pamphlets on learning disabilities to caregivers.

Obstetricians and gynecologists are specialists who treat conditions of the female reproductive system, care for pregnant women, and deliver babies. Assisting in this specialty might involve preparing women for a pelvic examination, assisting with a cervical biopsy, and providing support to infertile couples. You would also be responsible for providing information to pregnant women about prenatal care.

Medical assisting positions in the basic specialties usually involve a wide range of responsibilities and tasks. You will find many opportunities to develop your skills and interests if you work in one of these medical specialties.