A Medical Assistant is an allied health professional that supports the work of physicians and other health professionals, usually in a clinic setting. They perform routine tasks and procedures such as measuring patients' vital signs, administering medications and injections, recording information in medical record-keeping systems, preparing and handling medical instruments and supplies, and collecting and preparing specimens of bodily fluids and tissues for laboratory testing.
Medical Assistants perform routine clinical and administrative duties under the direct supervision of a physician or other health care professional. Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and book keeping.
The duties of a Medical Assistant can often vary greatly according to local and/or state level laws or regulations. Medical Assistant duties may may include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting during diagnostic examinations.
Medical Assistants sometimes collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They instruct patients about medications and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for X-rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings. They also facilitate communication between the patient and other health care professionals.
What Medical Assistants Do:
Medical assistants held about 720,900 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of medical assistants were as follows:
Offices of physicians 57%
Hospitals; state, local, and private 15%
Outpatient care centers 8%
Offices of chiropractors 4%
Employment of Medical Assistants:
The growth of the aging baby-boom population will continue to increase demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As a result, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, allowing the physicians to see more patients.
An increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other healthcare facilities will also need support workers, particularly medical assistants, to complete both administrative and clinical duties. Medical assistants work mostly in primary care, a steadily growing sector of the healthcare industry.
Class Assignments:
1. No textbook assignment for this class.
2. Please view the brief introductory videos below:
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