Are you interested in becoming a medical assistant? Education is an investment, so take the time to do your research. If you’re considering a medical assisting career, you may be wondering if you need a degree or a diploma. Here’s more about what medical assistants do and why a diploma may be the best option.
What Does a Medical Assistant Do?
Medical assistants handle a wide range of clinical and clerical responsibilities in a healthcare setting. Under the supervision of a physician, nurse or administrator, they support professional clinical staff, keeping the office running smoothly. Working in a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, their duties vary by setting but typically perform clinical and clerical duties. Mastering these will help you succeed as a medical assistant.
Triaging Patient Calls
Medical assistants answer phone calls that require clinical expertise. They handle complex inquiries, using triage principles, the process of determining medical priority based on symptoms, to evaluate patients’ concerns and direct questions to the provider most able to help. It’s a meaningful way to manage limited practice resources while ensuring patients receive the prompt care they deserve.
Managing the Schedule
Keeping the schedule on track in a busy doctor’s office is a juggling act. Medical assistants must consider when the right space, equipment and human resources are available while doing their best to meet the patient’s needs and accommodate last-minute emergencies. Long wait times for appointments and too much time in the waiting room are customers’ top satisfaction issues, so managing the schedule effectively by balancing the two is essential.
Greeting Patients
Medical assistants are the first clinical team members to greet patients, escorting them to exam rooms for routine clinical screenings before the provider arrives. They’ll collect biological samples, obtain vital signs, review medication and allergy lists, and record responses to standardized questionnaires, allowing the physician to spend more time with the patient instead of the computer.
Taking Vital Signs
Vital signs are essential clinical measurements of how the body is working. There are four primary vital signs: blood pressure, temperature, respiration and pulse, plus three secondary vital signs, height, weight and peripheral oxygen saturation. Taken regularly, trends in vital signs help physicians diagnose disease and choose treatments. Using the latest equipment, medical assistants will take and record vital signs for comparison at each visit.
Preparing Exam Rooms
Medical assistants sanitize and stock exam rooms between appointments. It’s a critical infection control measure and ensures the tools and supplies the doctor may need to complete an exam or treatment are at arm’s reach. Thoughtful preparation makes visits more efficient, saving patients’ time and improving productivity.
Collecting Specimens
Medical assistants help obtain, preserve and process biological samples for testing, including blood, urine, stool and sputum. Accurate collection, storage and shipping techniques are required to avoid contamination that could result in errors.
Phlebotomy
Vocational school medical assisting diploma programs teach phlebotomy, the science of drawing blood from a vein with a needle. Once done only in hospitals, many blood tests can now be done at a doctor’s office. In-house laboratories are convenient for patients and create an additional source of revenue for practices. Phlebotomy is a straightforward yet technical task for medical assistants requiring sound clinical judgment and people skills.
Performing Diagnostic Tests
Medical assistants can’t interpret test results. But under the supervision of licensed staff, they can perform or assist with diagnostics from electrocardiograms to x-rays. Some types of practices, such as cardiology, rely heavily on in-house diagnostics. Extensive practices with on-site imaging facilities are also becoming more popular in rural areas where hospitals can’t meet demand.
Assisting with Minor Surgical Procedures
Medical assistants act as a second pair of hands during minor surgical procedures. They prepare the suite, set up equipment and pass instruments while offering emotional support for patients. After surgery, they may apply dressings and give patients post-operative care instructions, from how to monitor wounds for infection to when to return for suture removal.
Overseeing Infection Control
A doctor’s office can harbor dangerous disease-causing microorganisms, following infection control protocols is critical for keeping vulnerable patients safe. Medical assistants are responsible for sanitizing equipment and exam rooms between appointments, plus sterilizing the instruments used for surgical procedures. They also serve as leaders, guiding non-clinical staff.
Educating Patients
Medical assistants are frontline educators. They can’t dispense medical advice, it’s beyond their scope of practice. But they can review the doctor’s instructions and serve as a clinical resource for questions from how to prepare for a procedure to when to get a flu shot.
Managing Referrals and Insurance Pre-authorizations
Primary care providers are generalists. Patients with health problems that exceed their expertise are referred to doctors who specialize in their unique health needs. But seeing a specialist is costly, and most insurance companies require preapproval. Medical assistants manage the data-sharing process between the referring physician, the specialist, the insurer and the patient. The result is a seamless, stress-free experience.
Billing and Coding
Most healthcare offices hire billing specialists to manage financial matters. But medical assistants bridge the gap between the clinical and business aspects of medicine by assuring records are properly coded to reflect patients’ conditions and the resources used in their care.
What do Students Learn in a Medical Assisting Diploma Program?
Vocational school training gives students the knowledge they need to hit the ground running in an entry-level position. The curriculum includes courses such as:
Medical Terminology
The healthcare field has a language of its own. Designed to say more with fewer words, terms are easy to decipher once you understand their parts. Medical terminology courses teach students how to figure out what words mean by analyzing their prefixes, suffixes and roots.
Anatomy and Physiology
Anatomy is how the body is made physiology is how it functions. The two are inexorably linked. Courses cover the twelve body systems and how they work to keep us healthy.
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the study of medications and their uses. Medical assisting diploma programs teach students about the different types of drugs, their therapeutic benefits and how to use them safely.
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology is the study of disease and injury. This course covers the most common disorders seen in a medical practice and how they’re treated.
Medical Law and Ethics
The medical field is regulated to ensure public safety. As an employee in a doctor’s office, a medical assistant needs to be familiar with health law, ethical responsibilities and how to handle patients’ sensitive health data.
Office Procedures
Medical assisting programs review customer service basics plus general office procedures, including data entry, writing correspondence, electronic communication and many other clerical duties.
Medical Coding
Medical coding is a type of alphanumeric shorthand used to describe disorders, services and medical equipment. Part of a medical assistant’s job is to code insurance forms detailing patients’ illnesses, the type of care they received, and any supplies used during treatment. Accuracy is critical because it drives reimbursement.
Practicum
Medical assisting practicums cover the hands-on skills you’ll need to be an effective part of the clinical staff.
A medical assisting diploma program teaches students phlebotomy, how to draw blood samples from a vein, by practicing on models, peers and patients during clinical rotations. The Practicum covers how to take accurate vital signs and collect clean urine samples, plus a range of diagnostic tests that medical assistants typically perform, such as electrocardiograms. Building on the Medical Law and Ethics course, students also learn how to enter doctor’s orders into electronic health records (EHR).
How Long Does It Take to Get a Medical Assisting Diploma?
Students attending a vocational program full-time can get a diploma in under a year, it’s an excellent option for people who can’t afford to be out of the job market for long. Some schools also offer part-time or hybrid options that you can complete at your own pace, but a full-time program will have you out of the classroom and earning faster.
The Benefits of a Medical Assisting Diploma
Education is never wasted, so getting a diploma is a worthy option. Programs are in-depth, and that’s a plus for most students. The benefits of a medical assisting diploma include:
Benefit #1: Marketable Skills
Doctors are responsible for their team’s performance, so they prefer to hire flexible, well-educated applicants. A diploma looks great on a resume, demonstrating proven skills that make job seekers more valuable.
Medicare, the nation’s largest insurer, mandates that medical assistants have proof of training before they can enter doctor’s orders into electronic health records, making education a must for most positions. Medical assistants are in demand, but the difference between landing a job and your dream job could be as simple as a diploma.
Benefit #2: Opportunities for Professional Growth
Training is a springboard for professional development. The next logical career move for most medical assistants is to pursue nationally recognized certification. Graduates who meet the criteria, including a diploma, can take an exam and become a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Credit hours may also be transferable to a degree program in the future or used to qualify for specialty training, such as a phlebotomy certification course.
Benefit #3: Advancement Potential
No one wants a dead-end career. Diplomas give graduates a foundation on which to build their skills and qualify for increasingly responsible positions. Candidates with formal training are usually among the first to earn promotions. With experience and continuing education, medical assistants can become office managers, clinical supervisors and more.
Final Thoughts
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a projected growth of 19 percent in medical assisting in the next decade. There’s never been a better time to consider working in the healthcare field. Jobs in medical assisting are secure and rewarding. Qualifying for the best of them begins with getting a vocational school diploma.
Interested in learning more about a medical assisting diploma? Meridian College offers hands–on Medical Assistant training from experienced school faculty who know how to prepare you for the daily challenges you’ll face on the job. From assisting doctors with patients to important administrative tasks, our experienced Medical Assistant program teachers will train you for a rewarding new career.
In addition to receiving training from school instructors with real-world experience, you will also complete a school externship in a physician’s office, clinic or related healthcare facility under the supervision of a physician, nurse or health services professional to further develop your skills.
Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a medical assistant.