Medical Assistant Jobs - A Career PerspectiveA medical assistant is a person who assists doctors and surgeons in their daily activities, sharing a part of their work and thus, making their job easier. The term, 'Medical Assistant' is, by itself, self explanatory and in this article we discuss medical assistant jobs in particular. In many cases medical assistants have almost as much work to do as the doctors themselves. Nonetheless, being a medical assistant promises a rewarding career with plenty of avenues to explore and improve one's future. In most cases, medical assistants are appointed and work under the direct supervision of a licensed practitioner like a health care specialist or a Physical Assistant. Their scope for work is restricted, but only in the technical aspects, not in the magnitude of work. Medical assistants have plenty of work to keep them occupied. Acquiring a job as a medical assistant is done in a series of steps. First, the person appearing for the post of the medical assistant needs to submit a copy of his health certificate showing a proof of rubella immunization or rubella titer, documentation of varicella, his hepatitis B report, his pre-employment physical examination and his annual TB check report.
Sometimes, a criminal background check may also be asked for. After this, the person needs to be adequately experienced, that is, he needs to have undergone the required training or externship for being qualified as a medical assistant. The externship program is a trying process for the student where he is tested for hard work, patience, dedication, concentration, commitment and presence of mind in addition to his technical capabilities. The curriculum for the medical assistant includes Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, Medical Law and Ethics, Psychology, Communication, Medical Assisting Administrative Procedures, Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures, Professional Components and Medical Assisting Externship. After completing this, the medical assistant has to take up the certification test for becoming a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA). Being a registered medical assistant is like having a recommendation that the person is adequately qualified to be a medical assistant. Once a person is registered, he or she has a better chance of getting a job as a medical assistant. Next, the responsibilities of a medical assistant include a variety of tasks like preparing and filing medical records and patient charts, maintaining medical records using numeric or alphabetic systems, performing inventory control and ordering supplies, maintaining office equipment, managing accounts for petty cash, post service charges and payments, gathering community resources, preparing and maintaining appointment books, sterilizing and wrapping instruments, preparing the examination room, recording patient body measurements and vital signs, assisting with physical examinations, assisting with therapeutic procedures, administering injections as ordered by the physician, etc. As seen above, the job of a medical assistant in the medical field is indeed an indispensable one and his day so busy with full of work, sometimes surpassing that of the doctor himself. This is one of the reasons it's much sought after. Information on medical assistant jobs can be found at www.indeed.com or www.mycareer.com. |
