Medical assistants play a vital role in medical offices. They can complete administrative tasks and clinical tasks. These professionals are often the first person that a patient interacts with and can check in the person and also complete the initial evaluation. A key identifier of being a medical assistant is that they are cross-trained in the administrative and practicing sides of medicine. This article will focus on the aspects of the medical assistant job description such as the responsibilities, education, and needed skills.
What Does a Medical Assistant Professional Do?
A medical assistant will complete administrative tasks such as billing and scheduling and clinical tasks such as completing simple medical assessments and explaining procedures. Medical assistants typically work a 40 hour work week. Medical assistants work in doctor offices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and research labs. Most health facilities prefer to hire medical assistants who have their certificate in medical assisting through an accredited program. Medical assistants can expect to make around $14.00 hour with excellent benefits.
Medical Assistant Job Description for Resume – Responsibilities
The bulleted list below shows some of the common responsibilities that a medical assistant might put on their resume.
- Answering patients who call to schedule appointments and request refills.
- Navigating the coverage of various health insurances and coding actions to bill to insurance.
- Completing requests for physicals or other forms for patients.
- Recording medical history and updates to medical history.
- Perform simple medical procedures like taking weight and blood pressure.
- Helping to administer vaccines for children.
- Serving as an aid during examination or medical tests.
Medical Assistant Job Description Required Skills
Patient Care Skills. Medical assistants help patients from the time they schedule their appointment to the time they receive their continuing care instructions and bill. Medical assistants must be confident in caring for the patient from both the administrative and clinical perspective.
Organizational Skills. Medical assistants are instrumental to the organization of the medical office. The medical assistant job description stresses that these professionals have to complete record keeping, bookkeeping, and appointment scheduling tasks. Being organized requires being aware of the nuances of the facility in which they work and establishing effective work flows.
Bedside Manner Skills. Medical assistants have to complete unpleasant procedures like administering vaccines or drawing blood. These tasks require medical assistants to be aware of how a patient feels about these procedures and reassure them if they are nervous or dreading these procedures.
Collaborative Skills. Medical assistants are part of a medical team. They need to work with administrative assistants, nurses, and doctors on a regular basis. Excellent communication is a necessity for medical assistants and collaborating on medical care is also expected.
How to Become a Medical Assistant
Medical assistants can be hired through earning a certification or through extensive on-site training. A medical assistant can earn a certificate or an associate’s degree. Some medical facilities will train people to be medical assistants while working. It is important to choose an accredited degree or certificate program. The accrediting bodies for medical assistants are the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools.
Education & Training Requirements
Medical assistants are more appealing to employers when they receive an accredited certificate or diploma. Medical assistants have a lot of flexibility in how they get qualified. The medical assistant job description notes that the minimum requirement is a high school diploma or GED. If a medical assistant chooses to enroll in a program, they can enroll in a short certificate program or an associate’s degree.
Certificate or degree programs can be residential, online, or a mixture of the two. Even online programs will require a clinical experience to learn about the skills needed on the job. After completing education or training on the job, medical assistants should seek certification. These certifications come from the CAAHEP and the ABHES accrediting bodies.
Medical assistants who choose to get certified need to maintain their certificate through continuing professional development courses. Even medical assistants who are not certified should participate in continuing professional development to show to employers that they value lifelong learning.
Work Experience
Medical assistants can get a job without work experience. However, gaining experience through formal or informal means can make a medical assistant more appealing to an employer. A medical assistant can acquire experience through their studies or on the job training. Experience that comes from their studies can come from going through clinical rotations and/or completing an internship. People who are interested in becoming a medical assistant should participate in a job-shadowing or externship program to gain experience and make connections in the field.
Work Schedules
The regular hours for medical assistants depend on where they are working. Most medical assistants need to start working approximately 30 minutes prior to the first patient appointment. As the medical assistant job description will outline, these professionals will typically work from 8-5 or 9-6. However, some medical assistants work on evenings or weekends to meet patient needs.
Medical assistants who work full-time can expect to receive a lunch break and a couple of smaller breaks during the day. It is not common for a medical assistant to work part-time. Extra hours are not common for a medical assistant, although completing all of the necessary tasks might make for slightly longer working days. After a medical assistant finishes helping patients, they need to complete final administrative tasks like calling to remind patients of appointments and completing forms.
Career Prospects
Being a medical assistant is rewarding personally and professionally. Medical assistants get to really connect with patients and are a valued part of the health care team. Medical assistants can work anywhere in the country with the same certification. The industry is an excellent choice because physicians and medical practices will look to hire more medical assistants to make their office more efficient and allow more patients to be seen. In addition, the increase in the number of people who have health insurance should correlate with an increase in people that physicians can see.
The basic salary of a medical assistant is $30,590 dollars. The 10th percentile of earners made $22,040 and the 90th percentile made $43,880. It is not required to own a certificate or degree. Therefore, those who do have a certificate can expect a higher salary. Those who do not have a certificate will increase their salary as they gain experience and on-the-job training. The job outlook for medical assistants is very positive as it is expected to grow 23% by 2024. In addition, the investment in education is minimal. There are many paths to becoming a medical assistant and thus it can be a flexible career choice.
Medical assistants are an invaluable part of the health care field. They are often the metronomes that keep medical practices organized and efficient. Medical assistants are cross-trained and can complete administrative or clinical tasks. Being a medical assistant means working in a positive job market and being able to enter the workforce soon after graduating from high school.