| Medical Assistant Site |
| Page: What Medical Assistants Do |
The medical assistant serves as an important link between the patient and the doctor. They provide essential support in the areas of medical office administration and management, patient care and lab procedures, patient care and customer services, just to name a few.
"I have noticed that there are many medical assistants that are unemployed due to lack of certification, not enough job experience and outdated skills!"
Experienced medical assistants with recognized certifications and who are on the up-and-up on their skills should have no problem landing a good job in a variety of healthcare settings, including medical offices, clinics, laboratories, blood banks, state health facilities and other places where licensed healthcare practitioners, clinicians and therapists need a helping hand. When applying for positions the key is a well written medical assistant resume and cover letter, or a properly filled out online job application to match the job description.
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Medical Assistant 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 the opportunities in the healthcare and medical services are so wide open. There are countless special focus areas, such as family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, internal, gynecology, urology, dermatology, cardiology... you name it, 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 in your role as a medical assistant.
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.
Medical Assistants Responsibilities:
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Schedule and confirm appointments Prepare patients for examination Explain treatment procedures Assist during the examinations Administer medications Perform diagnostic screening tests Change wound dressings Remove sutures Collect laboratory specimens Perform selected clinical and administrative duties Order and restock supplies Bookkeeping and basic accounting Insurance billing and coding |
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Prepare patients for examination and treatments Take patient histories and vital signs Prepare exam and treatment rooms and set up equipment Perform venipunctures, obtain throat cultures EKGs and other procedures as directed Follow CLIA, OSHA and JCAHO regulations Order and maintain lab and medical supplies and equipment Attend required meetings and participates in committees as required Participate in professional development activities Data entry and typing Maintain patient files, records and other information |
The medical assistant duties and responsibilities listed above are only a small example of duties and responsibilities as a Medical Assistant.