What is a Medical Assistant?
Medical Assistants are unlicensed healthcare workers who perform administrative and basic supervised clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. Many also work in outpatient clinics, hospitals and healthcare centers. Medical Assistant careers are gathering demand in the background of a healthcare industry boom worldwide.
Doctors’ offices are extremely busy places. There are almost constantly patients to see or consult with on the telephone, medical records and insurance records to update, tests to run, appointments to schedule, billing and bookkeeping responsibilities to handle, and many other duties and needs. Doctors may hardly have time to see all of their patients, let alone handle the rest of these tasks. This is where medical assistants step in. Medical assistants are basically the doctor’s right hand. They keep the office running smoothly, taking care of any clerical and some clinical aspects so that the doctors can focus on providing direct patient care.
Many doctors have large practices, especially those in populous rural areas where there are fewer doctors per person, and if all responsibilities are left to the doctor, the quality of the patient care can suffer. There is never a typical workday as far as medical assisting is concerned because it is a very busy and varying occupation. They may focus on reception, records, and billing one day and perform simple lab tests and change dressings and sutures the next. They may even be needed to assist doctors in procedures or by taking x-rays or administering electrocardiograms. Medical assistants also explain medication and procedures to patients, providing them with the knowledge and understanding they need to better care for themselves. The responsibilities and challenges, as well as the opportunities, are endless.
Many physicians are unsure of what tasks are appropriate to assign to a medical assistant and it is important to remember medical assistants are not licensed to make independent medical assessments or give advice. Although many Medical Assistants may have advanced training in certain clinical areas it is ultimately the responsibility of the supervising physician or other licensed health care provider to assure that their staff and Medical Assistants working in the office are performing duties in compliance with all governing laws.
Therefore the physicians must determine the skill level and capabilities of each employee they supervise and take into account liability risk and quality control when assigning them their responsibilities. Physicians should provide initial direct supervision and periodically assess the quality of their work. In practices with nurse managers, medical assistants can receive additional supervision coordinated to maximize workflow in a practice. Communicating the employees’ roles to other staff and clearly delineating their responsibilities is important in maximizing the productivity of the health care team. Although legal requirements addressing the Medical Assistant scope of practice vary by state, the Medical Assistant generally works under the license of their supervising physician or the managed care organization that employs them. The formal education of medical assistants often occurs in vocational schools, technical institutes, community colleges, proprietary schools, online educational programs or junior colleges.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 800,000 doctors in practice in the United States, with only 500,000 medical assistants working for them. As such, the medical assistant field is expected to grow substantially within the next ten years, especially as more doctors become overloaded with patients. The job is challenging, but there are many rewards, not in the least the chance to provide patients with the best care available.
Copyright : St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants
(http://www.medassistant.org/)
You can reproduce this article as long as you leave this copy right statement and links unchanged.
February 28th, 2010Medical AssistantRead More >No Comments
In many cases medical assistants wishing to advance their education, attending classes at a traditional junior college or vocational school just isn’t possible. With family commitments, part time or full time jobs and their location traditional schooling might not be an option. Fortunately, there are now numerous online medical assistant programs, where people can study and receive their certificate online. Often, online education lets you complete the medical assistant course in fewer months than it would take in a classroom, so it appeals to people who are looking to upgrade their education or make a career change in a short amount of time.
Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly.
The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually do many different kinds of tasks, handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Some medical assistants are still trained on the job, but many now complete formal programs at junior colleges, vocational schools, technical school or online medical assistant programs.
Online medical assistant education does take discipline and hard work, and you must be willing to devote time each day to studying. Some people prefer learning in a classroom, so keep in mind that you’ll be on your own and responsible for completing a set amount of work each week or month. Online medical assistant schools are definitely convenient, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier than attending a local traditional junior college or trade school.
With programs such as the online medical assistant program offered by St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants at www.medassistant.org you will have access to teachers and tutors who you can contact online or via phone if you have problems or questions. Also, a lot of online medical assistant programs have a very flexible completion time, so you may be able to finish the course at your own pace. If you are motivated to succeed, and looking for an alternative to traditional classroom learning, online education can be a rewarding way to achieve your educational goals.
Often online medical assistant courses are so convenient that you can complete the entire program at your own pace and study all classes online at anytime around the world. Many medical assistant programs also provide online training in introductory laboratory skills and basic clinical tasks for medical assistants. A typical medical assistant program will include classes in: basic medical terminology, human anatomy and physiology, medical office professionalism, patient communication, medical records, scheduling appointments, medical billing and coding, infection control, emergency care, patient history and physicals, EKG, lab testing, specimen collection, patient medications and related medical areas.
According to the United States Department of Labor, medical assistants held about 417,000 jobs in 2006. About 62 percent worked in offices of physicians, 12 percent worked in public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities and 11 percent worked in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. Most of the remainder worked in other health care industries such as outpatient care centers and nursing and residential care facilities.
Employment is projected to grow much faster than average, ranking medical assistants among the fastest growing occupations over the 2006-16 decade. Job opportunities should be excellent, particularly for those with formal training or experience. As such online medical assistant programs are often an excellent choice for students interested in a career as a medical assistant.
October 31st, 2009Medical AssistantRead More >No Comments