What is medical assistant?
A medical assistant is a kind of health care employee that works in clinics and medical offices to provide assistance to physicians. They could take your vital signs, measure your height and weight, and show you the examination room before they finish. Your symptoms and any concerns you may have about your health will be thoroughly documented and sent to your attending physician by the medical assistants.
What exactly does a medical assistant do?
The tasks that are required of a medical assistant vary from one office or clinic to the next. The majority of their responsibilities entail either administrative or clinical labour.
Administrative responsibilities
- A medical assistant could handle administrative responsibilities like
- Taking care of billing, accounting, and the general mail at the office
- Completing documents and coding for insurance companies
- Offering a warm welcome to both the patients and their families
- Organizing and maintaining current medical records
- Taking messages and making appointment bookings over the phone
- Making preparations for an appointment at a medical facility or a laboratory test
Clinical responsibilities
They may also do clinical duties such as:
- Guiding patients to the appropriate examination rooms
- Acting as a medical assistant to physicians during patient examinations
- Assisting patients in getting ready for their appointments with the doctor
- Collecting and preparing laboratory samples, as well as conducting routine laboratory tests
- Keeping a record of symptoms and bringing medical histories up to date
- Consulting with patients on changes to their diets and prescriptions
- Taking care of requests for additional doses of medication
- Distributing various kinds of drugs
What are the three types of medical assistants?
The three primary categories of medical assistants are as follows: These are the
Clinical Medical Assistant: The basic responsibilities of a clinical medical assistant include providing patient care, completing evaluations, and carrying out a variety of other clinical duties. This may involve training patients on how to properly care for themselves at home, collecting vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for medical exams, supporting the physician during examinations, providing minor treatments, and documenting vital signs.
Administrative Medical Assistants: Administrative medical assistants are primarily responsible for administrative tasks such as the management of patient records, the scheduling of appointments, the answering of telephone calls, the upkeep of front desks and reception areas, as well as the performance of general accounting and billing duties. Administrative medical assistants are essential members of the medical team in private practises. They ensure that the business part of the practise runs well in order to guarantee that the primary duty of the physician, which is to provide patient care, is interrupted as little as possible.
Medical Assistants Who Have Specialized Training Medical assistants who have received specialist training are able to work closely with doctors and provide patients with care in a manner that is more direct. This enables them to undertake specialised clinical responsibilities. Depending on the size of the medical practise, specialist medical assistants may report directly to the physician or to an administrative manager. However, in any case, they are responsible for providing medical care to patients.
Pros and Cons of medical assistant
Pros of Medical Assistant
Brief Instructional Interval: One of the most exciting aspects of being a medical assistant is the relatively short amount of time it takes between beginning your education and getting hired for your first position in the field. Someone might acquire training and become certified within a period of nine months. The typical length of time spent participating in a vocational training programme is between nine months and two years.
Numerous opportunities for employment: You have a good chance of earning double the minimum salary if you get into the field of medical assisting since there is a significant demand for people with your skills. Your level of experience will directly impact your salary.
Tasks from a Wide Range of Categories: As a medical assistant, you will have a busy schedule and participate in a wide variety of activities. Each new day brings the possibility of meeting new people and engaging in new activities. A lot of individuals are drawn to the field of medical assisting because of the many opportunities for diversity and excitement it provides.
Contentment in One's Work: It may be a very satisfying experience to interact with both patients and members of the medical community. Medical assistants take great satisfaction in the fact that they are able to aid others and that they may favourably impact the lives of the patients they care for.
Opportunities for Progression in One's Career: Working as a medical assistant may be a step in the correct way toward attaining all of your professional objectives, provided that the individual is motivated and committed to the position.
Cons of Medical Assistant
Prolonged periods of work time: The duration of a shift might require medical assistants to stay on their feet for anything between eight and twelve hours on a consistent basis. In addition, there will always be a need for medical care.
Stress: It's common knowledge that those in the medical field experience high levels of stress. Because being a medical practitioner requires ongoing effort, it might be challenging to take time "off" and maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life.
Deficiency in Autonomy: As a medical assistant, there are a lot of regulations that must be followed, and some individuals feel that having someone to report to and listen to may be a very stressful experience.
Low Salary: Although the average hourly salary is more than $17, there are other occupations in the medical industry that pay more and have the potential to be more profitable than the positions available. As an example, the average salary of a physician assistant is more than $78,000.
Biohazards: Working as a medical assistant may be challenging at times due to the possibility of being exposed to harmful organisms or biohazards. Concern of contracting the illness is understandable for those whose immune systems are already compromised.
