Delivering High-Quality Primary Care Requires Work That Is Worthwhile for Medical Assistants

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Figure 1.
Number of medical assistants employed in the United States, 2011 to 2021. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
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Figure 2.
Schematic diagram of components that make work worthwhile to medical assistants and their surrounding processes. Adapted from Parker SK, Van den Broeck A, Holman D. Work design influences: a synthesis of multilevel factors that affect the design of jobs. Academy of Management Annals 2017;11(1):267–308.

Table 1.

Mapped Components of Work That Is Worthwhile Based on Three Frameworks

Dimensions	Capability Framework	Good Jobs Institute	Great Jobs Study^†
Pay and benefits	Earning a good income	Pay and benefits	Level of pay
Pay and benefits	Earning a good income	Pay and benefits	Employee benefits
Job security		Schedules	Stable and predictable pay
		Security and safety	Stable and predictable hours
			Job security
Contribution	Using knowledge and skills Contributing to something valuable	Meaningfulness Recognition	Having a sense of purpose and dignity in your work
Growth	Developing knowledge and skills	Personal growth Career path	Career advancement opportunities
Social connectedness	Building meaningful relationships	Belonging
Autonomy	Being involved in decision-making Setting own goals	Achievement*	Control over hours and/or location Having the power to change things about your job that you are not satisfied with

*The Good Jobs Institute defined “achievement” as having “autonomy, tools, time and resources to do great work.”²⁰
^†The Great Jobs Study used 10 workplace characteristics, although only 9 are shown here. The remaining characteristic was “enjoying your day-to-day work,” which we regarded more as an evaluation of one’s job instead of a dimension of work that is worthwhile.¹⁹