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Medical assistants are valuable members of the patient care team in the modern healthcare industry. They are primarily responsible for supporting doctors in taking care of patients and collaborating with other medical professionals to ensure that the facility runs smoothly.
The best way to begin your career in this position is to enroll in a post-secondary medical assistant program offered by a reputable educational institution. In this article you will be able to find out more about what to expect in your medical assistant career.
Medical Assistant Duties
Medical assistants are responsible for both clinical and administrative responsibilities. An accredited school with a good medical assistant program should provide you with the tools that will prepare you to handle both of these responsibilities successfully.
When considering a career as a medical assistant, you should understand that you will work side by side with doctors on patient treatment. Good medical assistant programs will place a strong emphasis on clinical skills like taking vitals, collecting samples, dressing patient wounds, and dispensing medications.
On the administrative front, medical assistants might be involved in tasks such as answering patient phone calls, scheduling appointments, updating medical records, and general office maintenance. However, these tasks will vary depending on where you work and also the specific needs of the doctor you are working with.
Tips to Succeed in Medical Assistant Duties
As a medical assistant, you will be called upon to perform a multitude of tasks for your healthcare team and this will require you to have certain attributes in order to be successful. Here are three top skills that will help you on your way to becoming a successful medical assistant:
1. Develop Your Communication Skills
Communication is a top skill for this position because medicals assistants need to be able to communicate effectively with doctors, other medical professionals and patients. Clear and concise communication will help ensure effective patient care, reduce mistakes, and help alleviate patient anxiety
2. Get Organized and Learn to Multitask
Strong organizational skills are important for medical assistants because they help you to prioritize responsibilities and prevent errors due to missing information. Medical assistants are responsible for making sure that healthcare facility operations run smoothly and they should be able to pivot from task to task without losing focus.
3. Be a Team Player
As a medical assistant, you will serve as an intermediary for patients, physicians, nurses and other medical staff. You will be involved in passing along patient concerns to doctors, explaining the doctor’s instructions to patients, assisting patients with billing and insurance questions, coordinating patient care with other medical staff and generally managing the flow of information between everyone. As a good team player, you will be able to handle these demands effectively and professionally.
Medical Assistant Programs
Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology offers a flexible hybrid medical assistant program that’s designed to fit your schedule and prepare you for a career in less than a year. The 36-week program features a mixture of online lectures and on-campus practical instruction and ends with a clinical externship so you can get additional hands-on experience. In addition, Cambridge College’s career services department will provide you with the support to achieve an entry level position after graduation and shape your success in the field. To learn more about the program, call us today at 1-877-206-4279.