| Looking for a new career in the health care | | | | correspondence, scheduling appointments, |
| industry? You might want to consider becoming a | | | | arranging for hospital admission and laboratory |
| medical assistant. | | | | services, and handling billing and bookkeeping. |
| According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, | | | | The clinical duties performed would vary according |
| employment of medical assistants is expected to | | | | to State law and may include taking medical |
| grow much faster than the average for all | | | | histories and recording patient vital signs, explaining |
| occupations through the year 2012. They say that | | | | treatment procedures to patients, preparing the |
| the increasing use of medical assistants across all | | | | patients for their examination, and assisting the |
| rapidly growing health care industries will result in | | | | doctor during the examination. Medical assistants |
| fast employment growth for this occupation. In | | | | collect and prepare laboratory specimens or |
| fact, medical assistants is projected to be the | | | | perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, |
| fastest growing occupation over the 2002-12 | | | | dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize |
| period. | | | | medical instruments. They also instruct patients |
| The health services industry is expanding because | | | | about medications, special diets, prepare and |
| of technological advances in medicine, and a | | | | administer medications as directed by a physician, |
| growing and aging population. Due to the | | | | authorize drug refills as directed, telephone |
| expansion and growth in group practices, hospitals, | | | | prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare |
| medical centers, clinics, and healthcare facilities, | | | | patients for x rays, take electrocardiograms, |
| many more support personnel will be needed, | | | | remove sutures, and change dressings. They may |
| especially medical assistants who will be able to | | | | also arrange examining-room instruments and |
| handle both administrative and clinical duties. | | | | equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and |
| What do Medical Assistants do? | | | | equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms |
| Medical assistants perform routine administrative | | | | neat and clean. |
| and clinical tasks. They provide much needed daily | | | | Some assistants may specialize in particular |
| assistance to keep the doctors, podiatrists, | | | | healthcare areas and would have additional duties |
| chiropractors, and other health care offices | | | | to perform. Medical assistants do not examine, |
| running efficiently and smoothly. Their duties will | | | | diagnose, or treat patients, as a physician's |
| vary from office to office, depending on the | | | | assistant would. |
| location and size of the practice and the | | | | Future career advancements may include |
| practitioner's specialty. In small practices, medical | | | | advancing to office manager. Some may qualify |
| assistants usually are generalists, who would | | | | for a variety of administrative support |
| handle both administrative and clinical duties and | | | | occupations or may opt to teach medical assisting. |
| report directly to an office manager, physician, or | | | | With additional education and cerifications, some |
| other healthcare practitioner. Those in large | | | | may advance into other health career |
| practices tend to specialize in a particular area, | | | | occupations, such as nursing and medical |
| under the supervision of department | | | | technology. Since the preference of many |
| administrators. | | | | healthcare employers are for trained personnel, |
| Some of the many administrative duties | | | | job prospects should be best for medical |
| performed include answering telephones, greeting | | | | assistants with formal training, experience and |
| patients, updating and filing patient medical | | | | particularly for those with accredited certification. |
| records, filling out insurance forms, handling | | | | |