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Based on the prevailing trends, the healthcare industry will need more
allied healthcare professionals in the coming years, including medical
assistants. In fact, most doctors cannot function efficiently without
support from a good medical assistant. The assistant is considered an
important part of the doctor's healthcare team.
If you are thinking
about taking up this profession, you should know be aware of the
responsibilities this job entails. Checking out medical assistant job
description will give you a fair idea and will also help you determine
whether this profession is what you are looking for.
Medical Assistant Job Description
Typically, medical assistants are categorized as administrative medical
assistants, clerical medical assistants and clinical medical assistants.
Administrative and clerical medical assistants have similar
responsibilities.
When you check the administrative and clerical medical assistant job description, you will realize that the person needs to have some amount of medical knowledge, be organized and also have business skills to handle the following responsibilities:
Arranging appointments
Greeting patients and visitors
Filling and submitting insurance forms
Handling mail
Typing patient's chart
Filing
Record keeping
Collecting payments
Making payments
On the other hand, a clinical medical assistant has clinical and/or back office responsibilities. A clinical medical assistant job description can be as follows:
Assisting the doctor while he conducts a physical examination
Maintaining the treatment room
Sterilizing medical instruments using an autoclave
Checking the patient's vital signs
Changing dressings
Doing phlebotomy
Conducting ECG
Undertaking certain laboratory-related procedures
Taking X-ray, if the state laws permit
Usually medical assistants like a mix of clinical and administrative responsibilities. However, there are some that like to specialize in of the two types of categories.
Job Outlook
As you can see from the job description, medical assistants are
important allied healthcare professionals. Hence, there is a great
demand for certified assistants. According to the US Bureau of Labor
Statistics, by the year 2020, this occupation will see a growth of 31
percent. Based on this, it can be said that the job outlook for medical
assistants is very bright.
Work Environment
If you are interested in becoming a medical assistant, you will be able
to work in different kinds of settings. You can work in a hospital,
doctor's office, clinic and nursing home. Usually based on the medical
assistant job description, you will be working for about 40 hours a
week, from Mondays through Fridays. However, you get a medical
assistant's job in a hospital or the emergency room, you will be working
in shifts and this could mean working even during the weekends and on
holidays.
How to Become a Medical Assistant
To become a medical assistant, you will need a high school diploma and
relevant training. There are many community and vocational colleges that
offer medical assistant degree programs. You can join these colleges to
get a 2-year associate degree.
There are even certified programs that
are accredited and allow people to become licensed medical assistants in
a year. However, before enrolling for a program, understand medical
assistant job description thoroughly, as this is a job full of
responsibilities and can at times be demanding.
