Guide to Becoming a Medical Assistant

Are you looking for career in medical?career as ultrasound technician,to be pharmacy technician or becoming nurse practitioner ?or medical assistant ?Many health care centers are always searching for the right support staff that helps them to keeps things in a proper fashion. Most of the doctors and nurses are busy and also carry tremendous load on them, Medical Assistants are of use as they can take some of the task upon themselves to relieve the doctors of some of the burden. If you are thinking about having a career as a Medical Assistant, then this is the right one for you.It is a great choice to become a medical assistant.High medical assistant salary is waiting for you!

What is a medical assistant?

Medical assistants work in many different settings that include the clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices, community services and outpatient surgery centers. Medical Assistants can specialize and can learn specific duties that are concerned with the type of Physician they work for that include, podiatric, pediatric or ophthalmic medical assistant. However, candidates may find the duties of a medical assistant vary from state to state. Medical assistants are now in much demand than ever before due to the advancement in medical technology and the aging population.

The medical assistant will be responsible for handling administrative duties like a clerk that are seen in a busy medical office. They have to answer calls, schedule appointments and file patient information are some of the many responsibilities that a Medical assistant has to carry. Some of the common work places that a medical assistant can work are the hospitals, emergency care centre, clinics, etc. He is supposed to monitor the progress of the happenings in his work area as it is his main duty.

Although a career as a medical assistant is extremely rewarding, one should also know that it is a fast paced one. There will be many people who will be depended on you and you have to handle the responsibilities of assigning duties to others.

Why should you go for Medical Assistant?

If you love multitasking or the fast paced life and do not love the monotonous job in an office, then a job as a Medical Assistant is just right for you. In the rapidly expanding and the fast paced world, medical assisting is a varied career. From doctors, to assisting patients and performing receptionist duties, medical assistants are some of the many functions carried out by a medical assistant.

Medical assistant careers are always in demand. There are always sick people in the world who want to have medical help and care and there are very few assistants to help them. Working in as a medical assistant field offers a job stability that other careers may not provide. Again with further certification and training, you can be promoted to a top position like a registered nurse of office manager in any medical center. Working as a medical assistant is a respectable job and that is why it gives higher pays and salaries.

Job opportunities for medical assistants are on the increase and are expected to increase 34 percent till 2018. Their job makes them important in their field as they play an integral role in healthcare team. The doctors rely heavily on the medical assistants for the updates on their patients; they can easily know what the patient is suffering from when they sit down during consultations.

The Duties and Responsibilities of a Medical Assistant

The Medical assistant has to perform the task of assisting in any field of the medical center that is given to him. The job requires one to be honest, sincere, hard working and to be accurate in whatever he is doing. The medical assistant should realize that he is a part of the medical health care centre and has to help out people in curing them. Therefore he is looked upon with respect and admiration. The records he keeps of patients, filing the papers for the patient, and if needed he will also be asked to apply bandage to women and men.

Help doctors

The medical assistant will have to record and take the temperature and blood pressure of the patient during the routine physical check-ups for patients. In fact, the duty of the medical assistant begins even before the doctor checks the patient. What he does is he takes down all pertinent patient information that concerns with his present and past sicknesses, illnesses or any other things that has occurred in the present and the past. He will also have to collect specimen samples before the check-up begins to expedite the process.

Scheduling

In order to maintain and regulate the constant flow of patients in a orderly fashion, which has to take place with a doctor’s time constraints, he will plan the weekly patient schedule, take appointments of the patients and see to it that everything runs smoothly. He will have to update with the doctors schedule and look out for dates that are holidays for the doctor and revert back to the patient and reschedule everything. He will have to see if the doctor is free on a specified date and time given to the patient. Confusions and chaos will not be tolerated in any medical facility.

Updating records

With new patients always queuing up for checkups, it is the main duty of the medical assistant to open up a new file and do the needful. Many patients change their insurance companies or may suffer from any other complications other than the present, it is up to the medial assistant to update the patient’s files and change all the old records and update with the new ones. New phone numbers, new addresses, although seem like a small thing are quiet important for the medical health centers.

Helping in the operation theater

Medical assistants help the doctor before minor surgeries by sterilizing all the medical instruments that are required for the surgeries. They also arrange the instruments and keep only those that are going to be used. Unnecessary clutter of instruments may confuse the doctor and also take up much of the time during important surgeries. Doctors also rely on them for the smooth running of the operation. He takes care that the place is kept clean and is ready for the surgery including the report of the patient etc.

Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

While the job of a medical assistant is rewarding and offers good stability, one also has to realize and acknowledge the legal and ethical responsibilities as well. As he is responsible for clinical and administrative medical procedures, he is also responsible for the rules and regulations of the hospital and the state. He is required to follow a set of legal guidelines, rule of ethics of the state in which he practices.

Legal responsibilities

Irrespective of the state in which he works, the medical assistant has to ensure that whenever he provides the patient with direct care, the doctor should be present on the premises. This is a rule in the U.S., no matter what his experience and credentials are. One of the main responsibilities of the medical assistant is to main records of the patient’s history for insurance purpose. This requires honestly as it concerns with money and medical care. Confidentiality is must in this career as the job demands it and has to respect the privacy of the patient. He should always be at his best, lest he be accused of malpractice or negligence.

Ethical responsibilities

The ethical responsibilities are similar to that of the doctors. They have to swear to render their service to all the patients with respect and honesty. A promise to respect their confidentiality of the records is also expected of them. They are expected to refrain from behaving in such a way so as to make a compromise. Medical assistants are required to treat all patients similarly, irrespective of sex, age, financial status or background.

Certified Medical Assistant

Although it is not a requirement to be registered, it is good to be certified. However, there are some employers who prefer to hire a certified medical assistant who has a good experience, practical training and good academic background. The registered medical assistant can prove their credentials by producing certification papers. To be a certified medical assistant, one needs to pass an examination to show that you are qualified. The examination consists of tasks to be carried out by the medical assistant and common techniques and practices. One should approach the Association of medical technologist or the American association of medical assistants.

Academic Requirements

Medical assistant can opt for a post secondary medical assistant certificate or even secretary education course that teaches the administrative aspect in the medical field. The course also includes anatomy, chemistry, medical sciences and physiology as they will be working with x-ray scans and injections. Graduation will take around one to two years.

One can also register for the certificate online, if they are not able to attend the traditional classes. One can search on the websites that provide education and also certification for medical assistance. However the college or the university should be accredited in order to get a valid certification.

Salary of A Registered Medical Assistant

According to studies the registered medical assistants earn from $22,997 to $30,984 per year. One can also earn bonus from large hospitals and clinics that may range from $115.62 to $521. For the registered candidates, the top earners with one to four years experience will earn around $30,000 annually. It will go on increasing as your experience increases from five to nine years. The top annual pay will then be $31,000. A certified medical assistant’s range of salary will be from $24,313 to $37,239.

Prospective medical assistants will be surprised to know that the local government agencies and the employees of state are the highest paid assistants. Study shows that these individuals earn between $24,920 and $39,305 approximately. Top annual pay scale of the hospital employees are $39,000. However, in the private clinics, doctor’s clinics one can expect a salary of $23,821 and $30,131 annually.

Salaries can increase or decreases depending on various factors like the area in which you work, or the faculty of working and the qualifications. For instance, if one works in Ohio, the annual salary would be around $27,600, in Texas it is around $27,800 annually. But in Alaska it is the highest salary that goes up to around $37,750. Medical assistants who work in large hospitals can also fetch a large salary annually of around $30,770. However, the general merchandise store will pay only around $ 22,810 annually. Dentist will pay more and give you an annual salary of$36,880. A psychiatric hospital will give an average of $39,220 annually.

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