| What is a Medical Assistant? | | | | assessments or give advice. Although many |
| Medical Assistants are unlicensed healthcare | | | | Medical Assistants may have advanced training in |
| workers who perform administrative and basic | | | | certain clinical areas it is ultimately the responsibility |
| supervised clinical tasks to keep the offices of | | | | of the supervising physician or other licensed |
| physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other | | | | health care provider to assure that their staff and |
| health practitioners running smoothly. Many also | | | | Medical Assistants working in the office are |
| work in outpatient clinics, hospitals and healthcare | | | | performing duties in compliance with all governing |
| centers. Medical Assistant careers are gathering | | | | laws. |
| demand in the background of a healthcare | | | | Therefore the physicians must determine the skill |
| industry boom worldwide. | | | | level and capabilities of each employee they |
| Doctors' offices are extremely busy places. There | | | | supervise and take into account liability risk and |
| are almost constantly patients to see or consult | | | | quality control when assigning them their |
| with on the telephone, medical records and | | | | responsibilities. Physicians should provide initial direct |
| insurance records to update, tests to run, | | | | supervision and periodically assess the quality of |
| appointments to schedule, billing and bookkeeping | | | | their work. In practices with nurse managers, |
| responsibilities to handle, and many other duties | | | | medical assistants can receive additional |
| and needs. Doctors may hardly have time to see | | | | supervision coordinated to maximize workflow in |
| all of their patients, let alone handle the rest of | | | | a practice. Communicating the employees’ |
| these tasks. This is where medical assistants step | | | | roles to other staff and clearly delineating their |
| in. Medical assistants are basically the doctor's right | | | | responsibilities is important in maximizing the |
| hand. They keep the office running smoothly, | | | | productivity of the health care team. Although |
| taking care of any clerical and some clinical | | | | legal requirements addressing the Medical |
| aspects so that the doctors can focus on | | | | Assistant scope of practice vary by state, the |
| providing direct patient care. | | | | Medical Assistant generally works under the |
| Many doctors have large practices, especially | | | | license of their supervising physician or the |
| those in populous rural areas where there are | | | | managed care organization that employs them. |
| fewer doctors per person, and if all responsibilities | | | | The formal education of medical assistants often |
| are left to the doctor, the quality of the patient | | | | occurs in vocational schools, technical institutes, |
| care can suffer. There is never a typical workday | | | | community colleges, proprietary schools, online |
| as far as medical assisting is concerned because it | | | | educational programs or junior colleges. |
| is a very busy and varying occupation. They may | | | | According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, |
| focus on reception, records, and billing one day | | | | there are about 800,000 doctors in practice in the |
| and perform simple lab tests and change | | | | United States, with only 500,000 medical |
| dressings and sutures the next. They may even | | | | assistants working for them. As such, the medical |
| be needed to assist doctors in procedures or by | | | | assistant field is expected to grow substantially |
| taking x-rays or administering electrocardiograms. | | | | within the next ten years, especially as more |
| Medical assistants also explain medication and | | | | doctors become overloaded with patients. The |
| procedures to patients, providing them with the | | | | job is challenging, but there are many rewards, |
| knowledge and understanding they need to better | | | | not in the least the chance to provide patients |
| care for themselves. The responsibilities and | | | | with the best care available. |
| challenges, as well as the opportunities, are | | | | Copyright : St. Augustine School of Medical |
| endless. | | | | Assistants |
| Many physicians are unsure of what tasks are | | | | ( |
| appropriate to assign to a medical assistant and it | | | | You can reproduce this article as long as you |
| is important to remember medical assistants are | | | | leave this copy right statement and links |
| not licensed to make independent medical | | | | unchanged. |