Who Is a Medical Assistant and Should You Become One

A medical assistant is usually the first friendly face you interact with at a hospital or clinic. They assist doctors and nurses with basic medical and administrative tasks. They support patients of all ages and medical professionals as they apply treatment to them. Medical assistants who are adequately trained and certified with excellent bedside manners are vital to every medical institution.

Due to the vast nature of their responsibilities, medical assistants are usually jacks of all trades. They need excellent customer service skills to deal with patient issues, be quick and detail-oriented to accomplish supportive medical tasks and be organized to handle administrative duties. They are the backbone of a medical facility and have many great advancement opportunities.

How to Become a Medical Assistant

Due to the specialized role medical assistants play in any medical setting, they must have technical training in medical and administrative work. The best way to achieve that is by enrolling in a certificate program or diploma that would preferably have college transferable credit. Along with a certification, it is advisable to appear in and pass the CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) or RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) examination.

Credentials are critical to the medical community. You have a better chance of getting hired if you can prove you have the knowledge necessary for the task with hours of training. However, you may get away with just taking the exam without getting a full diploma. Becoming a CMA or RMA is very rewarding since they are paid optimally, and you dedicate your time to helping the ill.

Career Advancement Paths

The knowledge and skills you accumulate with your time as a medical assistant don't go to waste. You can get promoted within the medical facility you work in, contact a higher administrative position, go back to school to study hospital management, or become a registered nurse.

Not only will you be paid handsomely per hour for helping people out in their time of need, but you are also dedicating your time to a bright future with so many career options.

Flexible Working Conditions

Medical assistants are needed in all states and medical institutions for various healthcare settings. Since hospitals and clinics have patients admitted for long periods, you can get work on the weekends or nightshifts. You might even find options to work part-time. The ability to find a job anywhere and work in different shifts means that this is a very flexible job that is an ideal option for parents. A CMA or RMA is trained for any assistant medical role available.

Responsibilities of a Certified Medical Assistant.

Medical assistants arguably spend the most time with patients. Their tasks vary in different medical settings, but medical assistants do the following:

• Take patient information and history
• Take patient vitals
• Assist in administering injections and testing
• Prepare patients for examination by the doctor
• Assist doctors and nurses during examination or diagnoses
• Perform rudimentary tests on patients
• Collect lab samples and reports
• Prepare and administer medicines, including drips and injections
• Injury care and dressings
• Phlebotomies
• Utilizing computer applications
• Answering phones
• Greeting and rooming patients
• Documenting patient clinical records
• Coding and finishing up protection structures
• Booking arrangements for patients
• Dealing with correspondence, charging, and accounting

Should You Become a Medical Assistant?

You find joy in helping others. You wish to work in medicine but not go to school for ten years. You are detail-oriented, organized, and a quick student. You are good at managing things and great at talking to people. You want to earn a reasonable salary while tending to people who need you. The more of these you relate to, the more suitable you are to become a medical assistant.

Specialize as a Medical Assistant

Medical assistants are required in every healthcare setting. You can pick anything from private practices, full hospitals, triage clinics, critical care clinics, reproductive health clinics, dialysis centers, cardiac centers, and Pediatric or geriatric care clinics to specialize in your experience. You decide what kind of patients you want to interact with or switch from different types of healthcare clinics to find where you fit best.

This is your sign to sign up for a medical assistant certification, become a certified medical assistant, and start your new career. Can you imagine yourself walking along hospital corridors passing by patients that depend on your support to get better? It is time to become the support that patients and doctors are missing and fulfill your true calling in life by taking the exam and registering yourself as a medical assistant today.