Medical assistants are essential members of health care institutions as they are in charge of helping medical providers and patients with administrative and clinical duties. The assist patients and the physicians as they focus on the activities of the clinic, ant the patients receive the best services. This guide provides information on the medical assistant job description including, the duties they perform, the educational backgrounds they are required to have, salary information, matched against the workload and many others that are related to this profession with the intention of enabling the reader appreciate the profession.
Medical Assistants Job Description
A medical assistant is a trained healthcare worker who works alongside physicians, nurses and other specialists in both clinical and administrative capacities. A common duty that medical assistants assist with, is history-taking through vital signs, pre exams and patients’ records including future appointments. Their work scope depends on the places they are working for, and it can be, outpatient clinics, and procedures, doctors’ offices, hospitals, and specialists practices.
To encourage efficient workflow in the healthcare sector, medical assistants have become invaluable in the healthcare. The purpose of this is to allow providers of health care services to concentrate more on patient care, while a sequence of vital activities is performed off the direct view of the caring staff.
Resume Description for This Job
It is recommended for the applicants who would like to take the position as a medical assistant, to highlight their administrative and clinical skills, understanding of the medical practices as well as focus on care delivery for the patients. A sample resume description goes this way:
“I am a certified medical assistant. I have assisted both doctors and patients in busy medical settings previously. I am adept at preparing patients, recording their vital signs, giving them injections and making appointments. I have worked with EHR systems and am professional in all ways while ensuring the privacy of the patients and seeking their trust while enhancing healthcare processes. I have a strong reputation for providing care while boosting the organization of clinical activities.”
Feel free to adjust details to better match your experience!
Salary
The earnings of medical assistants in the United States can be influenced by a number of factors which include the level of experience, geographical region, and nature of the facility they are associated with. Allow us to give you guidance about what is realistic based on your experience:
- As a medical assistant starting in the profession with no experience: $30,000 – $35,000 per year
- Mid-career level with 2-5 years of practice: $35,000 – $45,000 annually
- A seasoned medical assistant with more than five years experience will expect a salary of $45,000 – $55,000 or more per year
Salary disparity can depend on the type of workplace and location, as the medical assistants based in cities or working in specialized areas usually earn more.
Responsibilities
Both clinical and administrative tasks are performed in various proportions by medical assistants. Thus, they possess a mixed skill. Some of the key areas include:
- Patient Preparation: To greet patients, get their history and get them ready for medical examination by the doctor.
- Taking Vitals: Recording the blood pressure, temperature, and pulse is essential in order to give exact information to the physicians.
- Assisting with Procedures: During physical examinations of the patients, administering injections and assisting with lab specimens within the practices of the physician.
- Administrative Support: Managing the scheduled hours of patients, updating EHR and responding to telephone calls and queries.
- Basic Lab Procedures: Eyeing only some blood work and other specimen collection for lab tests and analysis processes under a Physician’s permission.
- Inventory Management: To maintain the level of medical resources on hand, placing orders when appropriate.
- Patient Education: Explaining the patients’ medications, lifestyle and treatment plans as instructed by the health care providers.
Qualifications
There are several pathways to being a medical assistant but it is prerequisite to have both educated and technical skills along with the competence to deal with patients. Basic qualifications involve the following:
- Education: Possessing atleast a high school diploma educational certificate even though it is not uncommon to complete medical assistant training program most of which take a-year completion period. It is also common for some medical assistants to acquire an associate degree in medical assisting.
- Certification: Among other requirements, many of the employers prefer certified candidates. CMA offered by AAMA is one of the certification options available, Registered Medical Assistant which comes from RMA is also another option.
- Skills: Knowledge of terms used in medical sciences and practice, familiarity with Electronic Health Records systems, ability to organize tasks, and capability to handle simultaneous operations.
- Interpersonal Skills: Medical assistants require qualities of a good communicator and efficient interaction with patients and other working team members.
- Attention to Detail: Satisfactory performance in a number of tasks in healthcare settings such as taking vitals, and documenting and performing procedures among other duties have to comply with accuracy.
FAQs
Q1: Which certifications can a medical assistant earn?
Apart from CMA offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), a medical assistant can also take Registered Medical Assistant offered by American Medical Technologists (AMT).
Q2: Could you elaborate on the differences between a medical checker and a nurse?
Medical assistants focus on the combination of administrative responsibilities and clinical within healthcare facilities whereas, nurses’ work involvement is more on clinical and patient care aspects. Furthermore, nurses have a higher level of education and license requirement.
Q3: Do medical assistants need to possess a training/education degree?
Even though formal education is not necessary for this job, many employers prefer personnel who have gone through training programs or are certified. To help in attaining employment and career development, an associate degree in medical assisting is beneficial.
Q4: Are there any favorable employment opportunities for medical assistants?
Yes, we will see an increase in medical assistants’ opportunities due to the increase in the demand for healthcare services bearing in mind the outpatient and primary care facilities.
Conclusion
All in all, we can say, medical assistants are an integral part of the healthcare system as they provide assistance in both administrative and clinical operations. With the amalgamation of appropriate skills, accredited training, and the zeal for compassionate care, medical assistants greatly influence a patient’s experience and efficiency of healthcare teams making it a promising and fulfilling career option.