Medical assistant is one of the key personnel in a medical office. From greeting the patients and scheduling appointments to checking the vital signs and performing lab tests; medical assistants are required in every medical office. They work as extra set of hands for nurses, doctors and other health care professionals. Medical assistants do not have the license to treat patients and hence should always work under licensed health care professional. Advancement in the medical technology and growing population of elderly people in need of medical care has created a great demand for medical assistants in physician offices, nursing homes, clinics, hospitals and emergency rooms.
The duties of a medical assistant vary from office to office depending on the size, location and specialization of the medical facility. In a small to medium sized medical facility, medical assistants perform various tasks including administrative and clinical tasks such as greeting patients, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, and handling billing, recording vital signs and explaining treatment procedures to patients and so on. Medical assistants who work in large hospital and specialized clinics perform tasks in their particular specialized areas, under the supervision of department administrators.
Certification or degree is not a mandatory prerequisite to work as a medical assistant. However, medical professionals always prefer to hire people with certification, degree or some experience in this field as medical assistants have to handle delicate matters that are related to patients. Anybody with a high school diploma or equivalent education can apply for medical assistant course. Medical assistant courses can be completed through online courses or regular schools such as community colleges, vocational-technical high school and junior colleges. Even though online schools train their students in all the aspects of medical assisting field, those students obviously miss the hands-on experience, which is very critical. Medical assistant courses last from 1 year to 2 years. While 1 year program offers certificate or diploma, 2 years course provides with associate degree in medical assisting. Medical assistant schools train their students in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and medical terminologies. Students also learn about the laws related to the medical field, ethics and patient relations. Medical assistant courses also make sure that the students are well versed in laboratory procedures, administrative procedures, transcription and clinical and diagnostic procedures.
Since medical assistants have to deal with public such as patients and other health care professionals, they should have pleasant manners and courteous behavior. Medical assistants should know how to put the patients on ease and should be able to explain the physician’s instructions to the patients in a common people language which can be understood by the patients. A well rounded medical assistant course covers all these fine skills and makes their students ready to perform in a clinic just like any other experienced professional. While most of the courses train their students to perform general medical assisting job, there are specialized programs available which allows the students to specialize in a specific area of medical assisting such as podiatry, optometry, ophthalmology and medical administrative assistant and so on.
Even though certification is not compulsory to perform medical assistant job, some states call for certification to perform specific job duties such as radiographs and drawing blood. Certification indicates that a medical assistant meets certain standards of competence in the medical field. Certification provides greater credibility with peers and employers, better job security and greater opportunities to advance in medical assisting field. Certification also offers assurance to the patients and doctors that the medical assistant is qualified to assist them in the health care service. There are various associations that offer certifications to the medical assistants such as American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and American Medical Technologists (AMT).
Medical assisting is a challenging, yet rewarding career. This profession is ideal for someone who has a great desire to work with health care professionals and patients while earning a promising salary.
Medical Assistant