If you are considering following the path of how to become a medical assistant (MA) then what you need to do first and foremost is get into the best medical assistant college you can find and work very hard to get good grades. It also helps to know what to expect of the job once you have completed your studies and are ready to look for work.
Being a MA- What to Expect
The day-to-day life of a person who becomes a medical assistant (MA) can be very demanding but it also can be very rewarding. Those who are employed as MAs can be required to do any number of clerical and/or administrative tasks in a busy medical practice or hospital, not to mention medical related duties. A medical assistant is given a great deal of responsibility and must be able to rise to the many challenges that come his or her way.
MAs that find work in medium to large medical practices often specialize in one particular area and do so under the watchful eye of a supervisor or departmental administrator. Those who take jobs in smaller offices on the other hand may find themselves practically running the whole office. These indispensable individuals will be required to do both medical tasks as well as administrative work. In this instance a MA is sometimes given the title of a generalist in the doctor’s office or clinic.
There are jobs for medical assistants in the offices of general practitioners but also in specialties such as chiropractors, ophthalmologists, podiatrists, surgeons, massage therapists and many others. While not an absolute necessity of the job, it is not uncommon for a medical assistant to choose a discipline in the medical field and specialize in it.
A career as a medical assistant is flexible and versatile. You will play a vital role in how an office operates but you will also work closely with patients as they are your number one concern. As a MA you will build relationships with patients that will help them to feel comfortable when they walk through the door. Sometimes they will just need someone to listen to them and that person will be you. The direct contact with patients can serve to help motivate a MA to do the absolute best job possible and feel good about what they have accomplished at day’s end.
The administrative duties that can be assigned to a medical assistant can be many. Here are some examples of the most common ones:
· Greeting patients
· Signing in patients
· Updating medical records
· Answering the phone
· Booking appointments
· Dealing with medical correspondence
· Filling out insurance forms for patients
· Setting up hospital admissions
· Managing medical service billings for patients
· Setting up laboratory work
The life of a medical assistant can be very hectic but the opportunity to get bored is not there because there is too much going on all of the time! Many MAs are also encouraged to educate patients about the treatments the physician has recommended for them. They do other types of medical duties as well but are always closely supervised by a nurse or doctor when they attend to the needs of patients. For example, they may ready their patients to have x-rays or other tests. They can do electrocardiograms. They can take blood, remove sutures and change dressings on wounds.
