A Medical Assistant is a human resources position whose tasks vary widely depending on where they are employed. The occupation, which requires less than four years of college education, has grown faster than average in the past ten years. Employers often prefer graduates of vocational schools for this job. And to ensure that we provided you with all the correct details about the duties of a Medical Assistant, we took the help of team MedAssistantEdu in creating this article.
A medical assistant’s primary personal duty is to act as a liaison between their physician and patients. Some good medical assistant programs new york ny teach them to record patient charts, set up exam rooms before patient visits, take blood pressure and body temperature, retrieve patient histories from previous physicians or hospitals, help doctors prepare for office visits with tests such as EKG or x-rays by preparing the machine and equipment, answer phones during doctor’s appointments and communicate messages to patients about lab results or test dates among other things.
Medical assistants also answer questions from the public about policies and procedures, insurance plans, and medical benefits. They also help in preparing schedules, arranging for hospital admissions, and arranging appointments when necessary.
They are responsible for filing patient charts, billing patients’ insurance companies, and keeping documents such as charges and invoices up to date in many offices. Some physicians ask their medical assistants to make appointments with specialists or arrange for lab tests. Medical assistants may also maintain the office inventory by ordering supplies such as gloves or needles used during exams or prescription drugs kept under lock and key.
Following are a list of job duties a medical assistant might have depending on their physician’s speciality:
A Medical Assistant who works with a paediatrician could be responsible for attending to the needs of young patients. Duties may include taking temperatures, measuring weight and height, recording immunization data, and drawing blood from infants. A medical assistant in a pediatric office will also maintain files documenting patient growth and development, often compiling information from several physicians into one chart. They also perform routine laboratory tests such as urinalysis or blood counts while keeping track of results. Some administrative tasks may be required in this position, such as answering phones, typing reports, or handling correspondence.
A Medical Assistant who works with an OB/GYN has many responsibilities involving clerical and clinical tasks. They greet patients, schedule appointments, answer the telephone and make referrals to other specialists. Administrative duties could include typing letters, filing patient records, or updating insurance information. They may also inform patients of lab test results or make follow-up calls when necessary. Duties may also include taking blood pressure, weight, and temperature measurements; drawing blood for tests; inserting IUD’s; clerical work such as typing patient charts, billing insurance companies or compiling patient data into one chart; collecting specimens for testing in the lab; cleaning equipment used during pelvic exams; assisting with procedures such as ultrasounds/sonograms and pap smears; measuring uterine contractions during labour by monitoring an ultrasound machine while their physician delivers a child via cesarean section.
A Medical Assistant who works with an Emergency Room physician could be responsible for many clerical tasks in the ER, including updating patient charts, calling laboratories to receive tests, sorting specimens, or preparing equipment. They may also take blood pressure or temperature readings, help patients undress for examinations, and collect lab samples. When necessary, they may even assist nurses during procedures.
An Ophthalmologist’s medical assistant might be responsible for performing office work such as typing reports and managing correspondence while reviewing patients’ information before doctor visits. This person must have excellent communication skills since they will be relaying essential details about a patient’s condition to their physician to recommend the appropriate treatment. Other duties include maintaining files and records, updating insurance information, and scheduling appointments. In addition, they may retain equipment or assist with procedures such as treatment of ocular diseases, applying eye medications, and administering eye injections.
A Medical Assistant who works in a Dermatologist’s office has many administrative duties that involve patient care. They greet patients and schedule appointments while answering phones and relaying messages to the doctor or other staff members. Some responsibilities include updating files daily; checking for medication refills; tracking specimen deliveries from laboratories; cleaning room, preparing treatment rooms for exams; maintaining inventory; collecting lab specimens; prepping tools such as suture kits and injection supplies used during procedures such as mole removal, wart removal, and laser surgery; applying topical creams/ointments/gels to lesions; taking and developing x-rays; dressing wounds and assisting with minor surgical procedures such as mole/wart removal, abscess drainage and suturing.
