Since they have one foot in clinical work and another in the administrative camp, medical assistants likely experience more healthcare changes than other workers in the field. Without trying to cause added worry, their jobs likely will get even more complex and technical going forward as the ever-increasing integration of data analytics is applied to healthcare.
Technology has taken over much of our lives in recent years and, while the medical field as a whole has lagged in digitizing records and treatment monitoring, that’s now changing. Online exercise and calorie trackers, at-home blood pressure readings, and more have given rise to “telehealth” experimentation, an area where medical assistants may need to apply the latest technology lessons and innovation in order to ensure patients receive proper attention.
Healthcare’s Data Revolution
Medical administrators and others likely will rely on medical assistants to collect and share tons of patient data in order to learn how healthcare can be improved. As a result, they can expect to find themselves on the front lines of healthcare’s big data revolution. Despite many of them being millennials themselves, young medical assistants also will need to figure out how to build more convenience, flexibility, and personalization into the care health providers offer. While they will have a better understanding of how these trends may impact their jobs, knowing how to manage that data can be entirely different.
Technology manufacturers who create new products often don’t build them with the end-user in mind. Consequently, medical assistants must become more vocal about how they use equipment so it can be tailored to their needs. As one medical assistant says, communication may be the number one skill the next generation of MAs need to hone. Plus, they’ll need to develop more and more skills just to perform their jobs as physicians today give standing orders to MAs that traditionally have been given to registered nurses.
However, while new technology in the medical assistant world is inevitable, it shouldn’t be feared. New technology does not threaten the job of a medical assistant…it only enhances it.
Fortis Medical Assisting Programs
Nearly all Fortis College and Institute campuses offer a Medical Assisting program. With more than a quarter of all new jobs created over the next year-and-a-half being medically-related, Medical Assisting can prepare you for a rewarding career, assisting both patients and care-givers. It also provides a great glimpse into all aspects of healthcare, should you be interested in specializing in a particular area down the line. To learn more about the profession and where it can lead, check out the programs offered by Fortis.
Perhaps we’ll see you in a healthcare setting soon!
