Job Description: Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant Job Duties | Medical Assistant Schools | Medical Assistant Salary | Medical Assistant Pros and Cons

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES OF A MEDICAL ASSISTANT

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A medical assistant works in the healthcare industry to provide clinical and administrative assistance to health practitioners in various specialized professions. The role of a medical assistant varies depending on the office type, size of practice and location of the practice. However, generic duties include clinical functions, administrative duties and clerical duties.

In a small or medium size practice, a medical assistant will wear many hats, handle various clinical and administrative duties, and report directly to a physician or office manager. In large practices, the medical assistant is generally specialized in one specific area, for example, clinical medical assistant, working under the supervision of a department administrator.

What Are The Job Duties Of A Medical Assistant

· Clinical medical assistant duties include patient interviews to gather medical history information, measure vital signs like blood pressure, measure vital statistics like weight and height
· Prepare patients and lead them to the examination room
· Assist the physician in the examination and treatment of patients
· Collect blood, tissue and other samples for laboratory analysis; log the specimens and prepare them for testing
· Perform routine tests and sample analyses in the laboratory
Follow the physician’s instructions for the preparation and administration of medications
· Assist the physician in handing across instruments and materials as required
· Assist in giving injections and removing sutures as required
· Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations
· Ensure all examination rooms, clinical areas, laboratory areas and reception areas are disinfected and sanitized in accordance with OSHA regulations and other standards
· Disinfect and sterilize instruments; dispose of contaminated supplies and used supplies in the appropriate manner
· Change wound dressings
· Authorize medication refills; provide pharmacies with prescription information
· Organize scheduling of tests and admissions for patients with medical departments and facilities as instructed by the physician
· Operation of medical machines like X-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG) and other equipment to conduct routine diagnostic tests
· Provide physiotherapy treatments like hydrotherapy, galvanic and diathermy
· Clerical and administrative duties: answering telephones, completing insurance forms, taking dictation, recording patients’ medical history, vital statistics, test results and generally keeping patient files up to date; bookkeeping duties; maintain financial records, handle billing and payments; dispatch monthly statements to patients
· Patient care: schedule appointments for patients, greet patients and log them in and out of the office; explain treatment procedures, provide information on diet, healthcare and other instructions given by the physician; provide instruction on medications to be taken at home
· Inventory control management – maintain inventory lists of clinical, surgical, laboratory and office supplies; order supplies, receive and store supplies

What Type of Degree is Needed To Be A Medical Assistant

The position of a medical assistant in the healthcare industry is an entry level one. The person should have a high school diploma or GED certification to seek employment as a medical assistant. On the job training is provided in some offices while others prefer to employ people with a medical assistant certification. Formal training in a medical assistant role though preferred is not mandatory.

Medical assistant programs are offered by community colleges, vocational schools, technical schools, community colleges and junior colleges. They offer medical assistant degree programs as certificate and diploma courses that take nine months to a year to complete. Education is tailored to a medical assistant career and will equip the students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become a part of the workforce.

The medical assistant certificate and diploma courses spanning one year, result in certification. The associate level medical assistant degree programs take two years to complete and result in an associate degree. Apart from the skills needed to become a medical assistant, the program covers knowledge and skills that enhance the employability of a medical assistant.

Technical and vocational schools offer short courses that will provide a student with a variety of skills to enhance a medical assistant career. The short courses include administrative office procedures, medical terminology courses, healthcare law and ethics courses, clinical courses and exam room procedure courses.

What Is The Salary Of A Medical Assistant

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has forecast a very positive outlook for the medical assistant role. Predicted rise in employment figures is anticipate at higher than normal growth and is expected to reach 647,500 by the year 2018. Growth in the medical assistant job market has been predicted to grow 34 percent by 2018.

The average hourly rate for a dental assistant ranges between $10 and $16; the hourly overtime rate for a dental assistant ranges between $12 and $25. National annualized data show that the bonus for a dental assistant ranges between $96 and $1000. Overall annual pay scales range between $20,000 and $35,600 for a dental assistant.

Wage earning for medical assistants vary, based on skills, knowledge, experience, location and facility. The median annual wage for a medical assistant in 2008 was $28,300. The middle 50 percent of people employed as medical assistants earned between $23,700 and $33,000. At the high end of the pay scale, a medical assistant is capable of earning $40,000 a year. Benefits vary by practice setting and other factors like full or part time employment.

Medical Assistant Wages

Wage earning statistical survey figures for 2008 from the occupational employment statistics published by the BLS, show that a medical assistant employed in surgical hospitals and general medicine earned $29,700, which was the high end of the pay scale. A medical assistant employed in colleges and professional schools earned $28,820. Medical assistants employed in outpatient care centers earned $28,570 and those employed in physicians’ offices earned $28,710. At the low end of the pay scale, a medical assistant employed in other health practitioners’ offices earned $25,240.

(Figures are approximate and have been rounded off to the nearest full number)

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Being A Medical Assistant

While there are both advantages and disadvantages in working as a medical assistant, the income earned, the work experience gained and the work environment the person works in, outweigh any disadvantages associated with the job.

The advantages to becoming a medical assistant include:

· Not all employers require a medical assistant degree or prior work experience. This is a benefit to an aspiring medical assistant, who can work while getting medical assistant certification
· The work environment in which a medical assistant finds him or herself is clean, well lit, engaging and busy
· A proactive medical assistant with career advancement plans has the opportunity to learn a lot on the job. The opportunities to learn new skills, gain experience in a variety of areas and work in a responsible position provide a medical assistant with a strong foundation for career advancement
· A medical assistant can choose to work full time or part time depending on their educational, financial and personal needs

The downside to becoming a medical assistant includes:

· Multitasking is not a skill every person can easily acquire; the medical assistant role requires the person to handle a variety of tasks, each one quite different from the others
· A medical assistant’s role can be strenuous because of all the different jobs the person has to handle
· The level of risk in the healthcare field is high, and mistakes may not be tolerated.