While many people think of doctors and nurses when they think about their medical care, medical assistants are the glue that keeps the medical team together. They are the center of the team and incredibly important to the overall successful running of the medical facility.
What Does the Medical Assistant Do?
The medical assistant is responsible for greeting patients before they see the doctor. Because of this, the medical assistant needs to have a caring and gentle demeanor so that the patient is comfortable in the doctor’s office.
The medical assistant is trained to take vitals (pulse rate, temperature, respiration rate, and blood pressure) and health history information while working alongside doctors and nurses. Some of the professionals the medical assistant interacts with include doctors, nurses, medical coding specialists, and medical secretaries.
Why Medical Assistants Are the Center of the Medical Team
Medical assistants are the center of the medical team because they coordinate the patient’s treatment and work diligently to help care for the patients.
For example, the patient is going to be escorted by the medical assistant to the exam room. It is then the MA’s job to take vitals, which are crucial in detecting underlying problems.
Medical assistants then take a full health history of patients and ask them if they are experiencing any problems that need to be addressed. They may ask about symptoms and medications.
Medical assistants may be asked by the doctor to administer certain tests or to draw a blood sample. The medical assistant will follow up on any immunizations or medicine that the doctor has prescribed for the patient.
Finally, the medical assistant sets up follow-up appointments depending on the doctor’s instructions.
Skills You’ll Need as the Center of the Medical Team
Medical assistants need both social and health care skills. Going through the proper medical assistant program will prepare them for the clinical duties expected while working within the field.
The medical assistant program teaches them how to take vitals, how to interact with patients, how to work as a team and what they need to know or do when performing everyday tasks. However, it is important that along with having clinical skills, medical assistants are good working with patients.
They must keep a friendly and comforting demeanor about them. This is especially important when working with smaller children, babies, and toddlers. By being a caring and thoughtful individual, it is easy for the medical assistant to provide the care that these individuals need.
Medical assistants must be good at multitasking because they will interact with many patients throughout the day.
Teamwork is one of the most important skills for a medical assistant to develop. As the center of the medical team, the medical assistant will work to coordinate information between colleagues.
The medical assistant must be a team player and work well with others. It’s not unusual for medical assistants to work alongside medical coding specialists who need help with submitting payments to insurance companies. Medical assistants may find themselves at the forefront of the office, setting appointments and contacting patients by phone with important health care information.
Tips for Gaining Teamwork Skills
The medical assistant learns a lot of social and patient interaction skills when attending a medical assistant program. However, some of the teamwork skills are learned on the job. As with any other type of career, the more the medical assistant works within the field, the better she or he will become.
Continuing Education
In order to become a successful medical assistant, you need the proper education, as well as continuing education. The medical assistant program that you choose will prepare you for the field of medical assisting.
Once you have graduated from this medical assistant program, it is essential that you consider continuing education. Depending on where you live, continuing education may be required by law to perform certain tasks within the health care field.
No matter where you live, attaining continuing education is an important part of keeping up with your skills and knowledge within the field. As nurses and doctors need to continually take classes to keep themselves abreast of any changes, medical assistants must also do the same.
Along with the medical assistant program, you will find that continuing education comes in the form of classes, seminars, and courses that you can take throughout the year.
For those looking for a solid career that offers opportunity for advancement, there is nothing better and more rewarding than becoming a medical assistant. These professionals can work in just about any medical facility, including doctor’s offices, clinics, labs, urgent care centers, and hospitals. They can work with babies, children, adults, and seniors alike, providing patients with a calm and comfortable experience during an otherwise difficult time.
With the proper education and the desire to continue improving skills, medical assistants will find that they are a valuable asset to the medical profession and the medical team they are working with.
Do you have what it takes to become a medical assistant? Ready for an exciting new career in the medical assisting field?
The Medical Assistant program at Hunter Business School prepares competent, entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains required for professional practice.
The Medical Assistant program provides hands-on experience in a real medical setting where you can foster professional relationships with actual patients. Medical Assistant students spend 160 hours in an externship in a genuine medical work environment where they are supervised and taught in order to gain valuable on-the-job training.
Contact us today to find out more about how to become a medical assistant on Long Island.