Medical assistants master ins and outs of health care
If it takes village to raise a child, it takes a similar village to get you through the doctor’s office. A standard visit involves more than just the doctor. You’ll interact with the receptionist, a nurse and a medical assistant, all of whom are responsible for making sure you are getting the care you need — and that someone is paying for that care.
Depending on training, today’s medical assistant can play many roles, including those on the administrative end, like updating medical records, handling insurance issues, answering phone calls, responding to emails and maintaining appointment schedules, as well as small medical tasks, such as checking patients’ vital signs, drawing blood, running vision tests, preparing lab work and more.
“I work in the office so I deal with a lot of paperwork regarding insurance,” says Shannon Gillman, a medical assistant for Advocate Health Care. “A lot of the work is routine but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. If you miss something somewhere, there’s a chance payments can be delayed and patients could find themselves dealing with a lot of red tape, so it’s important to do the job correctly.”
Job requirements vary, ranging from on-the-job training to various professional certifications. “A lot of what we do is based on the person you’re working for or the group you’re working with,” says Gillman. “There are certain doctors who want extra help in certain areas of their practice so they may ask you to do different things.”
On the job
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most medical assistants work in physicians’ offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics and other health care facilities.
“The work setting and the hours are pretty comparable to other jobs,” says Gillman. “Unless you’re working in a hospital or in a 24-hour-care facility, your work environment is fairly standard.
Medical assistants usually fall into one of the following categories, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: • Administrative medical assistants often fill out insurance forms or code patients’ medical information. They often answer telephones and schedule patient appointments. • Clinical medical assistants have different duties, depending on the state where they work. They may do basic laboratory tests, dispose of contaminated supplies and sterilize medical instruments. They may have additional responsibilities, such as instructing patients about medication or special diets, preparing patients for X-rays, removing stitches, drawing blood or changing dressings. • Some medical assistants specialize according to the type of medical office where they work. The following are examples of specialized medical assistants: • Ophthalmic medical assistants and optometric assistants help ophthalmologists and optometrists, respectively, provide eye care. They show patients how to insert, remove and care for contact lenses. Ophthalmic medical assistants also may help an ophthalmologist in surgery. • Podiatric medical assistants work closely with podiatrists (foot doctors). They may make castings of feet, expose and develop X-rays, and help podiatrists in surgery.
Job outlook
In 2014, medical assistants held approximately 591,000 jobs in 2014. The BLS predicts that employment of medical assistants will projected to grow 23 percent by 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. The bureau attributes this growth to an aging baby boom population, which will continue to increase demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As their practices expand, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties.