Job Description: Medical Assistants are in great demand in all geographic areas, in doctors’ offices, hospitals, laboratories, and health centers. Medical Assistants perform a variety of duties that may include taking medical histories and recording vital signs; preparing patients for examination; assisting the physician during examination; collecting and preparing specimens and/or performing basic laboratory tests; sterilizing medical instruments; drawing blood; taking electrocardiograms; medical insurance coding and billing; creating and maintaining medical charts; preparing reports and correspondence; scheduling appointments; and greeting patients.
Medical assistants help make the offices of medical and other health practitioners run smoothly. Their duties can vary, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner's specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually handle administrative and clinical duties and report directly to an office manager, a physician, or other health practitioner. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area and work for department administrators.
Clinical duties vary according to state law and may include:
Taking medical histories and recording vital signs.
Performing basic laboratory tests on the premises.
Instructing patients about medications and special diets.
Taking patients' blood pressure.
Drawing blood.
Preparing patients for X-rays.
Taking electrocardiograms.
Changing dressings.
Administrative duties may include:
Answering telephones.
Greeting patients.
Updating and filing patients' medical records.
Filling out insurance forms.
Scheduling appointments.
Arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services.
Processing billing and bookkeeping.
Medical Assistants are multiskilled allied health practitioners who assume a wide range of roles in physicians' offices and other health care settings. There is a great demand for medical assistants.
Medical Assistants are viewed by physicians as vital partners in increasing the medical office productivity. In small practices, Medical Assistants are usually "generalists" the doctors assistant handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician or other health practitioner.
Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area under the supervision of department administrators. The following are typical duties that Medical Assistants perform (clinical duties may vary according to state law.)
The Medical Assistant needs strong organizational skills and project a positive attitude to the health providers patients.
