Joining the healthcare field is an incredibly noble and rewarding undertaking. Every day will be full of fulfillment as you interact with patients, diagnose their conditions, and give them the care they need. While they’ll go home feeling better and more confident of their recovery, you will have gone home knowing you’ve made a significant difference in someone’s day. A medical career is one of the most purposeful, enriching paths to take and one that’s definitely full of excitement!
However, you may find yourself at a crossroads in deciding which job in the field to pursue. Perhaps you’ve considered becoming a phlebotomist, or you’d like to know more about medical assistance before anything else. Here’s what you need to know:
Getting Certified
Getting the right licenses and certifications is a crucial part of joining the medical field. Although many states don’t have specific requirements for getting certification before getting employed as a medical assistant, you’ll still need adequate training. It may even help to take medical assistant classes in Indiana. Acquiring certification through a national organization will also give you an advantage when looking for your first job.
Still, even though there may not be specific legal requirements when taking a test or pursuing certification, many clinics and hospitals prefer medical assistants who have passed a certification exam. If you choose to become a medical assistant, you’ll need to take an exam like the National Healthcareer Association’s Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam. You may also want to take an NHA practice test for medical assistants to help you with your prep.
The Duties of Medical Assistants
To determine if being a medical assistant is the job for you, you’ll need to know what to expect in the day-to-day duties. One way to determine this is to look at the top skills that clinics and hospitals expect them to have.
These are some of the most common skills expected from a medical assistant:
- Managing patient appointments
- Administering injections to patients
- Drawing blood or phlebotomy
- Taking vital signs in patients
- Assisting with patient care
- Carrying out patient scheduling
- Managing patient flow
- Running electrocardiograms (EKGs) and the tests surrounding it
Given the range of tasks above, you can see that medical assistants are expected to carry out numerous responsibilities, which may feel overwhelming. However, don’t fret: that only means your job will be exciting and diverse, which means you’ll never have a dull day!
The Work Environments of Medical Assistants
One of the benefits of being a medical assistant is that you can work in just about every type of facility, although your role will vary between environments. As a medical assistant, you’ll have four general job settings: hospitals, clinics, private practices, and ambulatory care.
If you decide to work in a hospital, you’ll likely work under a nurse. You’ll help with tasks like scheduling, billing, reception duties, paperwork and computer work, and patient-facing care. You’ll also be in charge of administering medications, giving injections, and drawing blood.
You’ll perform similar tasks at a clinic, although you’ll work more closely with a doctor than a nurse because of the smaller environment. However, at a private practice, you’ll have a wide range of tasks depending on the practice’s specialty. For instance, you may perform more specialized tasks instead of clerical ones.
If you thrive in high-octane, fast-paced environments, you’ll enjoy working in ambulatory care. You’ll regularly deal with people in emergencies, which can be stressful, but it’s often very fulfilling.
Conclusion
Being a medical assistant is a rewarding and upstanding role that contributes significantly to the healthcare field. As you’ll be interacting with patients the most, you’ll be helping them feel more comfortable and ease any anxiety they feel about seeking treatment.
Medical Career Academy is a training center offering medical training classes in Indiana. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality education available to our students, preparing them for different healthcare fields. Register for a class today!