Medical Assistants
Health Science > Therapeutic ServicesProjected Growth: Much faster than average
Projected Job Openings
Medium Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
Common job titles of Medical Assistants include:
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Experience and Education
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
64.99% said they needed a Post-Secondary Certificate.
17.85% said they needed a Associate's Degree.
Tasks
Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
Schedule appointments for patients.
Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician.
Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
Operate x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), or other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
Keep financial records or perform other bookkeeping duties, such as handling credit or collections or mailing monthly statements to patients.
Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
Perform general office duties, such as answering telephones, taking dictation, or completing insurance forms.
Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests or admission.
Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.
Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
Set up medical laboratory equipment.
Inventory and order medical, lab, or office supplies or equipment.
Change dressings on wounds.
Tools
X ray machines
X ray development equipment
Wheelchairs
Walkers
Vitalors
Tuberculin TB skin test equipment
Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS units
All ToolsTourniquets
Tonometers
Tablet computers
Syringes
Syringe needles
Suture removers
Suction tubing
Suction machines
Subcutaneous hypodermic needles
Staple removers
Splints
Spirometers
Snellen eye charts
Single draw needles
Scanners
Retinoscopes
Pulmonary nebulizers
Pulmonary function measurement equipment
Plethysmographs
Pipettes
Personal computers
Oxygen tanks
Oxygen masks
Oxygen equipment
Otoscopes
Opthalmoscopes
Notebook computers
Nebulizers
Microscope slides
Microcapillary hematocrit tubes
Metric rules
Mechanical stethoscopes
Mayo stands
Manual blood pressuring measurement equipment
Lensometers
Laser printers
Lancets
Keratometers
Intramuscular needles
Intradermal needles
Hearing aids
Handheld occluders
Gait belts
Flexible sigmoidoscopy equipment
Evacuated collection tube holders/adapters
Evacuated blood collection tubes
Enema equipment
Endotracheal ET tubes
Electronic blood pressure measuring devices
Electrocautery equipment
Electrocardiography EKG units
Dosimetry badges
Dictation equipment
Culturettes
Crutches
Credit card readers
Centrifuges
Cast cutters
Canes
Butterfly needles
Breathalyzers
Blood collection vials
Blood chemistry analyzers
Binocular light compound microscopes
Baumanometers
Autoclaves
Audiometers
Technologies
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
Intuit QuickBooks
MEDITECH software
Microsoft SharePoint
Appointment scheduling software
Billing software
Bookkeeping software
All TechnologiesBusiness software applications
Diagnostic and procedural coding software
eClinicalWorks
Electronic medical record EMR software
GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
IDX Systems Patient Chart Tracking
Medical procedure coding software
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server MOSS
Microsoft Windows Vista Business
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Patient management software
Spreadsheet software
Visual electro diagnostic software
Skills
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Abilities
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension