How to Become a Medical Assistant and the Scope of this Career

Medical assistant also plays a crucial role in the healthcare sector. He/she takes the vital signs of the patients, maintains the clinical records, schedules patient’s appointments, hospitals, and other health-care settings. An experienced medical assistant may also perform basic clinical tasks. These can be like conduction of X-ray test, assisting in diagnostic tests, and giving injections, etc. The authorities/seniors provide him/her with these tasks, on the basis of his/her qualification and level of experience.

Medical Assistant is a skilled professional, which requires a specialized high school diploma at a minimum. Many states in the United States require medical assistants to undergo formal education. Hence, this training is necessary to perform clinical works. Moreover, healthcare facilities prefer medical assistants with training and certification.

Jobs for a Medical Assistant Associate Degree Holder

You may be seriously looking for a healthcare job after your college degree. Still, a 4-year compromise college program may not interest you. Then, choosing a medical assistant career is much easier. Let’s explore the jobs which a specialized medical assistant can do.

1. Phlebotomist

A phlebotomist is the one who draws blood samples from the patients and bottling them for various blood tests. The major tasks of a phlebotomist include taking vitals, preparing the patients for any procedure, blood draws, and then storing, routing, and processing the samples.

2. Surgical Technologist

These healthcare assistants will act handy to the doctors and nurses in the surgical rooms by taking care of a variety of tasks including assembling the equipment, transporting the patients, keeping the inventory of equipment and retrieving them after use, etc. They also have the responsibility to sterilize the equipment and also provide pre-and-post surgical care to the patients.

3. OT Assistant

Occupational therapy (OT) assistants are responsible for providing assistance to a patient with disabilities or injuries. Occupational therapy assistants need to help the patients to attain a better quality of life by offering them physical, emotional, and psychological support during the treatment.

4. Radiology Technician

With some additional training, a medical assistant can also take up the job of preparing the patients for x-rays and determine the x-ray type to be taken based on the doctor’s instruction. They process the x-ray images and also handle the high-tech x-ray devices.

Some other general healthcare specialties that medical assistants can take as their active role include, but not limited to respiratory therapist, dental hygienist, diagnostic/procedural assistant, etc.

Skills and Qualifications for Medical Assistants

As we said, a high school diploma or equivalent education is needed to start as a medical assistant. Also, there are advanced diploma and graduate programs in specialized areas for medical assistants to get specialized in various tasks. Medical assistants may also require excellent interpersonal skills and a compassionate mindset to care for needy patients. They should also possess excellent analytical skills and an eye on details.

Some of the US states want the medical assistants to undergo formal education programs and tend to recruit graduates. Many medical colleges and vocational schools now offer a specialized certificate program in medical assisting for a year or more. The course consists of medical terminology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, medical practices, insurance procedures, and laboratory studies, etc. There are also two to three-year associate degree programs in medical assistance offered by community colleges.

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