Medical and dental assistants play similar roles but on different stages. Both are allied health professionals but with distinct areas of expertise. Medical assistants support healthcare providers, while dental assistants work with dentists and other oral care specialists. Their responsibilities are similar yet different enough to offer two divergent career tracks.
What Does a Medical Assistant do?
Medical assistants support clinical and administrative professionals in healthcare office settings.
Duties consist of:
Triaging Phone Calls
Medical assistants take clinical calls, screen patients for serious symptoms and flag priority issues before directing inquiries to the appropriate provider. As the doctor’s representative, you’ll help the administrative team squeeze urgent care appointments between well-care visits.
Greeting Patients
Medical assistants are the first clinical representatives to see patients when they arrive. Their job is to update patients’ health records and perform certain clinical tasks on the provider’s behalf. They manage the most important resource, time, so that doctors can be more productive while patients get the best possible care.
Taking Vital Signs
Medical assistants use advanced equipment and their clinical expertise to measure vital signs at each visit. Trends in body temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate can indicate illness or an increased risk of disease. Changes in height and weight can signal serious medical conditions, from osteoporosis to congestive heart failure.
Performing Diagnostic Tests
Medical assistants can now perform diagnostic tests that once required a hospital visit. Examples include EKGs, pacemaker evaluations, urine pregnancy screens, occult fecal blood testing, fetal heartbeat monitoring, and urinalysis.
Phlebotomy
Drawing blood is among a medical assistant’s most sought-after skills. You’ll do basic draws and process samples in an office setting, saving patients a trip to the hospital.
Administering Medications
Medical assistants can give oral medications and most injections under the supervision of professional staff. You’ll vaccinate patients, assist with tuberculin skin testing, and apply topical treatments.
Assisting with Procedures
Medical assistants support doctors with minor procedures, from mole excisions and skin biopsies to vasectomies and laceration repairs. You’ll set up the surgical equipment, pass instruments and monitor the patient’s comfort and safety.
Wound Care
Medical assistants can’t assess wounds. However, they can perform basic wound care, such as changing bandages and removing sutures with a doctor’s approval.
Infection Control
Healthcare offices can harbor harmful, drug-resistant organisms. Medical assistants safeguard patients from infectious diseases through symptom screening, sanitation measures, and instrument sterilization.
Medical Coding
Alphanumeric medical codes are used to describe symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments on health insurance claim forms. Using the superbill created at check-in, medical assistants note the services rendered and the supplies used during each patient encounter, so doctors can be reimbursed promptly for their time and resources.
Managing Inventory
Doctors need dozens of supplies to perform exams. Medical assistants stock the shelves daily with the preferred items, reordering when inventory gets low.
Educating Patients
Medical assistants play a vital role in educating patients on various aspects of their health, such as medication management, disease prevention, and lifestyle modifications. You might demonstrate procedures, such as how to take a blood pressure reading at home and explain diagnostic test results on the provider’s behalf.
What Does a Dental Assistant Do?
A dental assistant’s duties are similar to a medical assistant’s, they are to oral care professionals what medical assistants are to licensed healthcare providers.
Their responsibilities include:
Scheduling Appointments
Dental assistants are well-versed in the clinical aspects of dentistry, which makes them ideally suited to handle complex scheduling tasks. You’ll guide the front office staff when they need to know how long procedures, like x-rays and fillings, will take.
Greeting Patients
Visiting the dentist is a stressful experience for most patients. The first interaction they have with staff can make or break their confidence. A good dental assistant guides patients through their visit while making them feel at ease.
Obtaining Health Histories
General and oral health are linked, so dentists need to know patients’ medical diagnoses before treating them. To kick off each visit, a dental assistant sits down with the patient and reviews recent changes in their medications, allergies, and health conditions. It’s an important part of providing safe care.
Taking Vital Signs
Abnormal vital signs are a contraindication to some dental treatments that require an anesthetic. Dental assistants take this measurement and inform the dentist of any irregularities.
Preparing Treatment Rooms
Dental assistants prepare the equipment and supplies dentists need before patients arrive. Keeping exam rooms well-stocked ensures treatments proceed smoothly.
Infection Control
Infectious diseases can spread between patients if treatment areas and instruments aren’t properly sanitized. One of a dental assistant’s most essential roles is to keep patients safe by sterilizing instruments, sanitizing surfaces, and disinfecting equipment between visits.
Taking or Assisting with x-Rays
Dental assistants assist hygienists with x-rays by preparing the necessary supplies and helping to position patients for the best possible images.
Working in the Laboratory
Dental assistants help in the lab by cleaning and polishing removable appliances. In a restorative practice, you’ll make alginate impressions for dentures, implants, and crowns.
Chairside Dentistry
During treatments, dental assistants provide chairside support by managing equipment and passing instruments to the dentist or hygienist. They also monitor patient safety, provide emotional support, and keep a running record of findings as the dentist examines patients’ teeth.
Applying Sealants
Fluoride treatments rebuild enamel while sealants form a protective barrier against harmful bacteria. You may perform both as part of a preventive treatment regimen.
Coronal Polishing
While dental assistants can’t clean teeth in most states, they can polish them above the gum line once the hygienist is done. This process, known as coronal polishing, not only removes surface discolorations but also smooths out minor imperfections in the enamel that attract sticky bacteria.
Ordering Supplies
Dental assistants are jacks of all trades. Familiar with what the office, laboratory and treatment rooms require for supplies, they monitor inventory practice-wide and reorder when necessary.
General Office Duties
Dental assistants are trained to handle clerical tasks such as data entry, filing, sending invoices, and accepting payments. They are always ready to lend a hand wherever they are needed so that the schedule runs efficiently.
Patient Education
Teaching patients about oral health is among a dental assistant’s most rewarding responsibilities. Whether it is helping children learn to brush their teeth or providing guidance to patients with toothaches, dental assistants have the opportunity to share their passion for oral health and improve the wellness of the next generation.
What is the Difference Between a Medical and Dental Assistant?
Medical and dental assisting are both healthcare careers you can be proud of but with similarities and differences to consider, such as:
The Job Market
Medical and dental assisting are both expanding fields. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16% increase in demand for medical assistants through 2031. The outlook for dental assistants is also strong at 8%.
Employment Settings
Medical assistants work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, private practices, and insurance companies. Dental assistants work primarily in oral care practices. In most areas, there are more jobs available for medical assistants.
Emotional Impact
Dentistry has its ups and downs, but you’ll rarely deal with sick patients. A dental assistant’s responsibilities extend only to occasional oral care, so there’s less emotional involvement in patients’ personal situations.
Medical assistants, however, may forge deeper professional relationships with ill and vulnerable people. The psychological impact can take a toll if you’re not prepared for it.
Colleagues and Supervisors
Medical assistants work under the direction of administrators, physicians, and other licensed clinicians. Dental assistants are supervised by dentists and dental hygienists.
Both are members of the clinical and administrative teams, providing support for both departments. However, while dental assistants rarely interact with non-oral care professionals, medical assistants engage with a wider range of clinicians.
Advancement Potential
Advancement opportunities are similar for medical and dental assistants. With continuing education and certifications, they can advance into supervisory or specialized roles.
Both can also build upon their education by getting a degree. Many medical assistants become nurses or practice administrators while dental assistants become licensed hygienists.
How Do You Become a Medical or Dental Assistant?
Medical assisting doesn’t require a license, so there are no formal education requirements. Practically speaking, however, a vocational school diploma is the gold standard. Healthcare is a complex and highly regulated field, so employers are incentivized to hire trained applicants with proven skills. You need a diploma to be a competitive applicant.
Vocational programs are comprehensive but take less than a year to complete. Students graduate work-ready and qualified for certification.
Coursework covers:
- Medical terminology
- Anatomy and physiology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical and laboratory procedures
- Billing and coding
- Office protocols
Higher education requirements for dental assistants vary by state. Most require training but not licensing or certification, and this is true in Florida. Employers may insist on a training program and licensure or a certificate. Vocational programs prepare students for any scenario with a broad curriculum and certification preparation.
Topics include:
- Dental terminology
- Anatomy and physiology
- Oral care techniques
- Chairside dentistry
- Laboratory procedures
- Radiography
- Communication
- Office protocols
- Customer care
Both medical and dental assisting programs have an externship component in which students work off-site with a veteran member of the profession, so nothing will be unusual or intimidating as you begin your new career.
Final Thoughts
Whether you become a medical or dental assistant should depend on your interests, aptitudes, and career goals, the roles are different enough to affect your career satisfaction. So, research both fields, talk to professionals in your area and consider your skills and preferences before taking the leap.
Medical Assistant Program
Meridian College offers a hands–on Medical Assistant training program taught by 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 teachers will train you for a rewarding new career.
Dental Assistant Program
The Dental Assistant training program at Meridian College provides extensive hands-on training including a school externship at a dental office where you will assist the dentist in treating actual patients.
Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a medical or dental assistant.