Are Medical Assistants Needed?
Lots and lots of people depend on the medical assistant's skills and many enjoy and
appreciate their services! And doctors everywhere depend on them to keep their medical practice organized and
running smoothly. Over 819,000 physicians and surgeons, 2.4 million registered nurses, 77,000 occupational
therapists, 182,000 physical therapists, 94,000 respiratory therapists across the USA are in consistent need of
qualified medical assistants.
Estimates are that there are over two million people employed in allied health professions in the
United States alone, of which many are medical assistants in clinical, administrative and other highly specialized
positions (e.g. phlebotomy). Despite the present high unemployment rates healthcare and medical services continue
to thrive like never before. There is plenty of room for men and women to enter into the medical assisting field.
If you are interested, let us just say that as long as you have a sincere desire to do well, are willing to attend
school to train and earn your medical assisting credentials then doctors, medical office managers and recruiters
are willing to hire you.
 Where Can I
Work In My Role As A Medical Assistant?
Medical assistants can work in almost any medical facility where they are
supervised by the physician who hired them. Doctors and senior medical staff train, supervise and monitor their
medical assistant's activities on the job.
The neat thing about being a medical assistant is that there are so many possibilities in the
healthcare field and opportunities in medical services remain wide open. There are countless special
focus areas such as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal, gynecology, urology, dermatology,
or cardiology and you can work in so many places, from small single-provider to large group practices, to
ambulatory health clinics and large regional medical centers—it's all out there and available to you if you apply
yourself and are dedicated to your future and role as a medical assistant.
Medical Assistant Work EnvironmentMost medical assistants work as part of a patient-service team in close contact with
doctors, dentists, nurses, and physical therapists, others specialize in providing emergency medical
treatment, operating diagnostic tools such as x-ray and ultrasound equipment, laboratory testing of tissue
and blood samples, maintaining pharmacy supplies or patients' records, constructing and repairing medical or
office equipment and many other clinical and administrative healthcare tasks. Nurse practitioners and
physician assistants (PA) also like to have at least one or two medical assistant on their staff to keep the
office running smoothly and efficiently. It is their responsibility to keep the office's work flow going and
contribute to the doctor's ability to provide efficient patient care.
What Will My Duties and Responsibilities
Be?
Their responsibilities includes knowledge of medical office administrative and patient care routines, relevant
equipment, policies, procedures and strategies to promote effective medical office operations, and procedures for
the protection of people, data, property and institutions. Furthermore, a significant part of the day is spent on
interpersonal communication, customer services, appointment scheduling and discussing medical billing and health insurance aspects with new and established patients, as well
as:
- Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future
problem-solving and decision-making
- Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the
points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times
- Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of patient's reactions and understanding why they react as they do
- Monitoring — Monitoring treatment areas, patients and other individuals and medical equipment to make
improvements or take corrective action
- Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal
services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services and evaluation of
customer satisfaction.
Computers and Software
- Using accounting software — Billing software; bookkeeping software
- Electronic mail software — Email software; Microsoft Exchange
- Medical software — Patient management software; visual electro diagnostic software
- Office suite software — Business software applications; Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software — Microsoft Windows Vista Business; Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Various medical screening devices — Apparatuses and monitors
Funding Sources for Your Medical Assistant Training
Where so many are looking for a better job to build a better life, money for education and training can quickly become part of the concerns. While
everybody would like to pave the way for a better future, not everybody can afford to go back to school unless
they have the necessary funding for vocational training institutions or community college; however money for
vocational education IS readily available for those who qualify. US Department of Labor and Workforce
Development Career Centers offer services free of charge to help people develop the skills needed to succeed in
a meaningful work environment, either at an approved job training site, or in a qualified medical assistant job
training program.
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