Hospitals, doctors’ offices, and laboratories, all benefit from the help of an efficient medical assistant. But being a medical assistant doesn’t just end at performing the duties assigned to you by your superior. There are specific abilities you need to build a respectable and successful medical assistant career, and we’ll list them out.

Medical Assistants and their duties

A medical assistant or a clinical assistant is a direct health professional assigned to a hospital or clinic, to assist the doctors and other health professionals, in both administrative and physical work. Some of their duties include:

• Recording of patient history and information
• Scheduling patient appointments
• Assisting doctors with their patients' exams
• Checking the vital signs of patients
• Administering drugs and injections to patients as permitted by the doctor and the state
• Preparing lab test samples

Medical assistants can be either administrative medical assistants who do more of the administrative work or clinical medical assistants who are involved in clinical practice. Some big hospitals tend to have both types on hand.

Some assistants only do specialized work, according to the location. For example, an assistant working in an ophthalmologist’s office will end up helping the doctor with the patient’s eye care, and help patients with contact lenses.

Medical assistants should not be mixed up with physician assistants who practice medicine on teams with other doctors, and are allowed to treat and diagnose patients. They shouldn’t also be confused with nursing assistants who work under nurses.

How to become a medical assistant?

Medical assistants usually don’t require a degree. All that is needed is a high school diploma or any other type of postsecondary education certification. You can become a medical assistant through on-the-job training or attend a certification program.

The job involves learning the right terminology, how to interact with patients, names and uses of medical instruments, and office work. You can also learn how to use electronic health records (EHRs), as more clinics are going digital. The training can take months to a year.

Many community colleges offer a 2-year course that comes with a certificate. You don’t need previous experience or certification to partake in them. You can also find centers that offer 1-year training and certification. In some states, you might need to be certified before you can practice. Always check the rules of your state’s board of medicine.

Most times, employers prefer to hire medical assistants that have gone through some form of training. To find yourself a medical assistant job, visit uk.jobsora.com for the fastest and most convenient job search. Jobsora links you to the best jobs around you that fit your description.

Skills that make you a successful medical assistant

• Interpersonal Skills: As a medical assistant, you will be in charge of interacting with patients while taking down their history, administering drugs and injections, or during patient exams with the physician. It is essential for you to be able to relate cordially with patients and to have good bedside manners.
• Analytical Skills: Medical assistants are expected to be able to understand patients’ medical charts. Being able to understand the diagnoses at first glance is a vital skill that helps you become successful in your career. You should also be able to code a patient’s information for billing purposes.
• Technical Skills: Technical knowledge of the clinical equipment is a must for a medical assistant. You may be required to take a patients’ vital signs, such as blood pressure, without mistakes. You may also be required to prepare samples for laboratory tests.
• Accuracy: Medical assistants have to be accurate and pay attention to details at all times. Taking down precise patient information and history is very important for both physicians and insurance companies. You also need to be watchful when checking for vital signs because that can be vital during diagnosis.
• Discretion: Because medical assistants handle a lot of personal patient information, discretion is a vital skill to possess. You must always respect the patient’s right to privacy and the clinic’s doctor-patient confidentiality.

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