Medical assistants are vital components of any doctor’s office. They shouldn’t be confused with physician assistants, who are more directly involved with the diagnosis and treatment of patients. No, a medical assistant, as described by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, is an administrative and clinical employee who keeps the office running smoothly. Medical assistants work for all manner of health practicioners, from physicians to chiropractors to podiatrists and more. Every medical office depends on a medical assistant to maintain the structure of the work area.
If you find yourself wondering exactly what a medical assistant does, the short answer is: a little bit of everything. Medical assistants handle a variety of administrative duties for a practice, including filling out patient records, maintaining the schedule of patient apppoinments, completing insurance forms, and dealing with billing and bookkeeping issues. A medical assistant’s duties will also vary from state to state and depending upon the size of the medical office. For example, smaller or more localized pratices will allow a medical assistant to work in a wider array of roles within the office, from administrative duties to more clinical applications, while medical assistants at large health institutions tend to work in more narrowly focused roles.
It’s important to note that a medical assistant’s ability to perform clinical tasks varies among the states, so the work you would perform as a medical assistant depends on where you live. Depending upon local statutes, medical assistants can collect patient specimens for lab work and even perform basic lab tests at the office. Other potential tasks include working with a physician to administer medication, prepare patients for X-ray examinations, or tend to sutures and dressings.
In addition, some medical assistants are specially trained in a given area like opthalmology, optometry, or podiatry. In these roles, the medical assistants provide valuable, experienced help to the doctor and office at large by working with patients. For instance, an opthalmic medical assistant helps test patients’ eye function and instruct them in proper care for contact lenses, and they also administer eye medications under the supervision and guidance of an opthalmologist. Similarly, a podiatric medical assitant can help podiatrists in surgery and make X-rays of patients.
A medical assistant, in other words, is a trained professional able to be used in a variety of ways within a medical office. Like an all-purpose tool, the office couldn’t get along without them.
