A Career In Medical Assisting

Medical assisting is a field of opportunities for those who enjoy working side by side with doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals in a medical office or clinic. The common goal is the medical care and health treatment of men and women of all ages, ethnicity, and walks of life.

What Is the Role of a Medical Assistant?

In general the medical assistant (MA) is a highly trained, multiskilled professional who plays an important role in the medical office reception and administrative area, or the clinical floors in the back. Those who work in the front office schedule appointments, greet the patients, handle referrals, call and return phone calls from patients, call the pharmacy, oversee paperwork, handle correspondence, make sure lab test results are mailed to patients, arrange for hospital admission, and take care of billing and bookkeeping.

Those who work with the physicians and nursing staff in the back office call the patients in from the waiting area, take their vital signs, show them to the exam room and treatment areas, ask them about the reason for their visit, and collect information such as a list of medications. They collect specimens as ordered and make sure that lab work is done and followed up on, help with examinations and treatments, sterilize instruments and supplies, assist with minor surgery, and administer medications as ordered by the physician, and last but not least, make sure the office's onhand supply of medications is properly maintained and samples are restocked, and waiting areas and exam rooms are kept clean and attractive.

Men In Medical Assisting

Traditionally, medical assisting has been a profession dominated by women, mostly because of biased training and recruiting due to misconceptions about men in the medical and health care workforce. However, truth is, opportunities abound for men and women alike. The key to a successful medical practice or clinic is to hire COMPETENT staff members to handle routine tasks, NOT hire by gender. When given a chance, men, just like their female counterparts, make highly valued and respected members of the medical office team.

Medical Assistant Training

Formal training, while generally preferred, is not always required. Some are trained on the job, although this is becoming increasingly less common. Applicants usually need a high school diploma, or the equivalent, and then enter an 9-12 month long vocational training program to earn their medical assisting diploma.

Recommended high school courses include mathematics, health sciences, biology, typing, bookkeeping, computers, and office skills. Because MA students must acquire both administrative skills, and competencies, and clinical skills and competencies prior volunteer experience in the healthcare field, or working as a nurse assistant or home health aide can be very helpful. Although there is no licensing requirements some States require them to take a test or a course before they can perform certain tasks, such as taking x-rays.

Occupational Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the field will be one of the fastest growing occupations through the year 2010. Medical assistants held about 329,000 jobs in 2000. Sixty percent worked in physicians' offices; 15 percent worked in hospitals, including in- and outpatient facilities. The rest were employed in nursing homes, offices of other health practitioners and other healthcare facilities. Employers prefer to hire experienced or certified applicants who have passed a national certification examination, indicating that the person meet certain standards of competence.

An Important Question

Recently I was asked whether a medical assistant has to know how medications are prescribed and the strength of drugs. I explained, that safe and effective drug therapy requires more than simply handing out medications as ordered, or administering a drug to a patient as prescribed. While it is not within the MAs scope of practice to independently order medications or write prescriptions an important part of their repertoire of skills is a basic understanding of pharmacology.

An MA is expected to have a basic knowledge of common types medications and be familiar with common names of prescription drugs, their brand and generic names, their usual indications, and their recommended dosages, and dosage forms. They also must understand the difference between regulated drugs and Over the Counter (OTC) medications, and laws associated with them.

Furthermore, they are expected to know the purpose and effect of drugs, conditions under which drugs may or may not be used (i.e. pregnancy, drug interactions, toxicity,) be able to summarize possible reactions to a drug, understand all medical terms and abbreviations that appear on a prescription label and on a written prescription, properly dispose of regulated substances in compliance with government guidelines and office policies and procedures. The most efficient way to prepare for these responsibilities is to know basic principles of pharmacology. Only this way can they notify the health care provider under whom they work of all medications that the patient is taking, and medications are properly administered, stored, and discarded.

To assure the quality of care and maintain their practice's good standing and reputation within the community most employers in the USA prefer to hire certified medical assistants. About The Author My name is Danni R., I am a former certified medical assistant and medical assisting instructor at Porter & Chester Career Institute, and Branford Hall Vocational Training School. I now dedicate my time and talents to designing, publishing, and maintaining various medical assistant web sites and blogs dedicated to medical assistant students, working medical assistants, and those who aspire to become either one. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danni_R.

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