As a medical assistant, your day begins the minute you walk into the office. First up will be listening to phone messages from overnight and scrolling through your emails to see if there are high-priority cases demanding attention. Next, it’s into the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to organize charts and see who you’ll be assisting – the doctor, PA (physician’s assistant), nurse practitioner…or all/some of the above. Then you’ll be filling out necessary paperwork, reviewing the schedule with the physician and others, and preparing patient rooms for whatever’s planned.
Soon, patients begin arriving and you take them on as they come in. Each one will require individualized attention specific to why they are seeking medical attention. For some you may have to collect sample…others may need an injection or a variety of other procedures. For each, you’ll log into the EMR system to verify basic information and update things such as blood pressure and pulse. If your healthcare provider isn’t computer-savvy, you may be asked to input diagnoses and additional patient information into their charts during the consultation.
After each visit, it will be your responsibility to clean the area and prep it for the next patient and ensure all labs or specimens taken from the departing patient are processed in a timely fashion. And, at the end of the day, you’ll help clean and sterilize all rooms and tools used throughout the day, stock rooms with extra gowns and products, and perform a host of other odds and ends to prepare for the next day.
When you’re a medical assistant, it’s important to always be a true “people person” because you must deal with patients who have all sorts of illnesses and may share some very private concerns with you. Any personal issues you’re facing need to be pushed aside so you show empathy toward your patients and maintain a positive e attitude.
Medical assisting’s not a job for everyone, but for those who fit the right mold, it can be a phenomenal experience. Because medical assistants are exposed to so many areas of medical care, it provides great training and perspective for those who may be thinking about explore other areas of the healthcare field; however, becoming a medical assistant is a great career choice on its own.
If you’d like to learn more about medical assisting, Fortis is a great place to start. Most campuses offer a Medical Assisting program…some with expanded function/basic x-ray training. Learn more about the qualifications and program offerings by visiting our homepage. Maybe we’ll be seeing you soon in a set of medical assistant scrubs.
