Medical assistants is extremely important in bringing proper care to people, but becoming one doesn't require many formal classes and certifications. Read on to learn more about what medical assistants do every day.
Your Responsibilities At Work
Medical assistant duties take different forms, and your exact job description will vary depending on whether or not you work for a small family practice or a larger hospital. You may be asked to do everything in a small office from paperwork to sterilization.
In a bigger medical setting, you may take the incoming patient's vital measurements like blood pressure, temperature, weight, and medical history.
Kindness Is A Top Quality
If you enjoy helping patients feel more comfortable and hope to provide excellent care, then this may be the perfect position for you. Medical assistants need to have excellent people skills—you’ll be working with every type of personality in every type of situation. You should be able to take up the challenge of finding common ground with even the most scared or angry of patients.
Competent MAs who do everything possible to connect with their patients play a huge role in the overall patient experience. The happier patients are, the more likely the facility will thrive.
What About Certification?
Technically, you don't need to have a certification to do this job. Some medical assistants learn on the job by getting hired as a receptionist and working their way up or by being hired directly for the position. However, you'll need to be ready to really show your superiors what you can do from you very first day if you choose not to get a certificate.
You can also earn a board certification by taking the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam given by the American Association of Medical Assistants. This will definitely give you the edge over someone who doesn't have a certification, so it would be worth attending classes to get ready for the test. You'll especially want to do this in the more competitive cities.
Another an advantage when trying to get hired: look for ways to get as much hands-on experience as possible. Volunteers have the opportunity to get to know people within their field, even people in charge of hiring. You’ll make friends, learn skills from seasoned medical professionals, and most importantly, help people.
A New Part Of Your Identity
While this was just a quick exploration of medical assisting, it gives you a look at what you’ll do in the career and how important personality can be to success. If you have that great attitude and a desire to help people with their health, make “medical assistant” your title by finding classes near you.
