|
Send this page to a friend
Medical Assistant
Medical assisting is the allied health profession that provides administrative and clinical support for physicians in the efficient operation of their office practices as well as in hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities.
The medical assistant serves as the direct link between the physician and patients, professional associates and suppliers of medical drugs and equipment. The medical assistant mayperform either administrative and/or clinical duties depending on amount of training. Nearly every practicing physician requires at least one medical assistant.
| Some of the duties of a medical assistant may include: |
| • | Preparing laboratory specimens and performing simple laboratory and evaluation tests |
| • | Scheduling appointments, receiving patients, answering the telephone, arranging hospital admissions and operating office machinery |
| • | Taking medical dictation and transcribing shorthand |
| • | Receiving representatives from pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment suppliers |
| • | Completing medical and insurance forms and maintaining medical records |
If responsibilities are limited to secretarial functions, the medical assistant may be referred to as a medical secretary and a high degree of medical terminology is not necessary.
In a small office, advancement opportunities may be limited, however, in a large office or clinic, medical assistants may be promoted to office manager.
With sufficient, formal on-the-job training, medical assistants can perform clinical duties.
| Secretarial duties might include: |
| • | Recording vital signs and other medical statistics |
| • | Giving injections and instructing patients about medication and home care |
| • | Performing diagnostic and routine laboratory procedures, and taking blood pressures and temperatures |
Job Outlook
Medical assistant is one of the fastest growing careers nationwide. The need for medical assistants has increased as the medical field has become increasingly specialized and more diagnostic testing and administrative work is required. Also, more and more procedures once done in hospitals are now being done in doctors' offices, creating a greater demand for medical assistants.
Educational Requirements
Training in medical assisting varies with specific job responsibilities. For medical secretaries, general secretarial programs of one to two years are offered by most community colleges and vocational/technical schools.
To become a certified medical assistant, students must graduate from a program accredited by the Registered Medical Assistants Association. Medical assistant programs include clinical skills such as taking blood pressure, electrocardiograms and other tests. Administrative skills are also taught, as well as courses in ethics and law (for malpractice issues). At the end of the first year, students are placed in medical offices and hospitals for supervised on-the-job training.
Certification as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) is available from the Association of Medical Assistants upon successful completion of the association's exam, which is a two part examination covering administrative and clinical skills, general medical assisting, and basic laboratory procedures. Recommended high school courses include typing, business, mathematics, biology, chemistry and psychology.
Most community colleges and vocational schools offer training in medical assisting.
For a list of accredited programs contact:
Educational Programs
Additional Resources
American Association of Medical Assistants
20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1575
Chicago, IL 60606-2903
(312) 899-1500
http://www.aama-ntl.org/
|
|
