A Doctor's Best Friend
If you are a mom looking for a rewarding career outside of the home, or perhaps just returning to the work force and would like a position that puts your mind to work but does not necessarily require a degree, you should consider becoming a medical assistant.
For every ten medical assistants that there are, on average, six of them work in a doctor's office. A plus to moms, there aren't any weekends or holidays usually worked in a doctor's office. Some medical assistants are able to get on the job training, though there are many that will complete a program that is one to two years long. Medical assisting positions are predicted to be the fastest growing occupation over the next seven years.
What do medical assistants do? Maybe the question should be what don't they do. However, we will look at what their responsibilities usually are. Most medical assistants perform administrative as well as clinical tasks to help keep a medical office running smoothly. Do not confuse a medical assistant with that of a physician's assistant. Physician assistants will diagnose and treat patients under direct supervision of the doctor. The medical assistant does not do either of those duties.
Your specific duties will vary based on the type of office you work in. If you work in a small office, your duties are more likely to be more general. Dealing with both administrative and clinical aspects and you will report to the office manager, doctor or other health practitioner. Those that are working in a larger practice will more then likely specialize in an area and be under the direct supervision of a department administrator. As you may have guessed, those duties can include answering phones, greeting patients, updating and filing patient records, filling out insurance forms, scheduling appointments and arranging for any hospital admits or lab services. You may handle billing and bookkeeping, as well, depending on the practice. Your clinical duties will vary by State law and your training. Usually though, these duties do include patient intake, which is getting their medical history, current vitals, medication list and prepping the patient so they are ready to be seen by the doctor. Beyond that and depending on the practice, you may also collect and prepare lab specimens or perform basic laboratory tests. Disposing of contaminated supplies and sterilizing equipment can also be job requirements of a medical assistant. Outside of what your State dictates that you are allowed to do, it really will depend on the office. I have been a medical assistant for six years, worked three different places, two of which were just different cardiology offices and each place had very different expectations and requirements. A very important role of the medical assistant is patient education. It will be your job to explain new medications, possible diet guidelines and upcoming testing that your patient may be having done. To me this is probably the most important aspect of your job. Make sure that you are educated enough first on what you are going to tell the patient. Often it is the medical assistant that is the one that has the time to go over everything with the patient. We have only skimmed the surface of what a medical assistant does. But know that they are one of the most vital components to any medical office. Medical assisting is also one of the most versatile jobs that you can possible have and very rewarding.
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