What does a medical assistant do? 6 skills you need

What does a medical assistant do? These professionals are adept at multitasking that make clinicians’ jobs easier and help improve the patient experience safely and effectively. Medical assistants do a wide range of tasks and although they are trained to work directly with the doctors in charge of exams, they do not have the power to prescribe medications or suggest treatmenst. However, their hard work makes them valuable assets for doctors and patients. Discover the 6 most important skills you need to be a medical assistant!

CPR certification

Among all the certifications that a medical assistant must have, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, is one of the most important. It’s a technique used to save the lives of patients who have stopped breathing for some reason. The timely intervention of medical assistants is vital to care for patients in an emergency while waiting for paramedics arrive to transfer the patient to a specialized hospital.

A physician assistant must have ECG training

ECG that can be read by physician assistant — Shutterstock

Another task that medical assistants perform is to prepare patients before they undergo an electrocardiogram. Usually, the medical assistant will talk with the patient and explain the steps for the process. Along with the explanation, they will clean the area where the monitors will be placed (depending on the type of examination to be performed) and will accompany the doctor while the procedure is performed. It usually takes only a few minutes.

Medical terminology

Undoubtedly, one of the most important skills that a medical assistant must possess is to remain up to date on the medical terminology used in the different procedures that have to be performed during exams. Among the terminology that the medical assistant must master is: medical management models, insurance terms, insurance codes and billing standards, abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, instrumentation, among others.

Physician assistants must have venipuncture training

Medical assistant taking blood sample — Shutterstock

Phlebotomy or venipuncture is one of the most sought after skills in a medical assistant. It involves obtaining blood samples through a needle in an efficient and safe way for the patient. This skill requires training and good technical skills in order to master it.

Preparation of patients

An important task of medical assistants is to accompany patients in all the medical procedures that have to be performed, in addition to explaining in a simple way what these are treated, what they are for and what to expect from them. Medical assistants will take the patient’s vital signs and carefully review their medical history to identify all relevant information that must be reported to the doctor.

Administrative skills

A medical assistant is, in essence, a multidisciplinary professional who must specialize in performing several simultaneous tasks efficiently and safely, whether in the medical or administrative area. Among the administrative tasks are, among others, the organization of the doctor’s agenda, telephone contact with patients, communication with medical insurance companies and with laboratories and pharmaceutical companies that have to complement the treatment of patients.

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