Medical Assistant Training – An Overview
Medical assistants are known as the “right hand” of physicians. Apart from taking care of the physicians’ clerical and administrative duties, they also take care of certain clinical requirements. They serve as the link between the doctors and the patients.
1. Duties and Responsibilities: Medical assistants perform various duties which include preparation of patients for examination and treatment, monitoring the blood pressure, temperature and pulse of patients, administration of medication, carrying out some medical procedures like phlebotomy, taking x-rays and electrocardiograms, sterilization of medical and surgical equipment, etc.
2. Skills Required: There are some necessary skills that medical assistants should possess. They should have good administrative skills as it is their job to keep all the files and reports of patients organized and intact. They should also have remarkable clinical skills which can be acquired only through proper training and practical experience. Theoretical knowledge along with the experience of working under expert guidance can be considered as an added advantage to be successful in this career. Good communication skills are also required as it would be their responsibility to make patients comfortable and at ease even in emergency situations. In most cases it is medical assistants who explain the procedure of certain treatments to the patients or their relatives on phone or in person. Thus they should have the ability to converse clearly, precisely and calmly.
3. Career Options: There are various career options available to those who undergo medical assistant training. They can choose to be medical records technicians, medical data assistants, medical billing and coding specialists, medical transcriptionists, physical therapist assistants, etc. depending on their area of interest.
4. Medical Assistant Schools: There are many medical assistant schools in the USA that provide professional training in Medical Assistance. There are a number of schools in Mississippi, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Kentucky and Maine.
The responsibilities of medical assistants involve lots of challenges and risks. They may have to involve with critical patients at times. They need to have a good control over their emotions and a calm nature. Those who easily get panicked at the sight of blood are not advised to take up this as a prospective career option.
Having discussed some basic information about medical assistants, it is easy for you to decide whether this is a career you have always wanted. Once you have decided to start your career, you may browse online to get the details of schools and the courses offered by them. There are courses which take about 9 months to a year for completion. Once you have completed your course, you can be assured of being hired immediately as the medical industry is always in need of skilled and dedicated medical assistants. With adequate experience, you also have ample opportunities to work with different sections within the sector.
The writer of the article is professionally associated with eMedicalAssistants.com, a leading online promoter of medical assistant schools in the USA.