The Field of Medical Assisting
In medical facilities, medical assisting professionals are required to perform variety of tasks that include clinical and administrative duties. They help dentists, medical practitioners, doctors and chiropractors run the facility properly. In most cases, you report to an office manager or medical practitioner. Depending on where you work and the size of the facility determines what type of job duties you will have.
Tasks
Some medical assistants perform only administrative duties, such as updating patient files, filing insurance forms and providing other services within the office. Greeting the patients that come in and handling the preliminary paperwork that's needed may also be required. These assistants are also known to set appointments, bookkeeping and light billing.
Tasks of Clinical Medical Assistants
Compared to administrative medical assisting professionals, clinical assistants perform duties that are completely different. In the clinic, assistants are required to take medical histories of patients, educate patients about the forms they're filling out, preparing patients for exams, checking vital signs and helping doctors that are performing exams on patients. You may also be required to take specimen for lab tests. Keeping medical instruments sterilized is also a key role of medical assistants.
Specializations
There are different areas that you can specialize in within the field of medical assisting. For instance, you can work in medicine, podiatry, optometry, chiropractic and dental offices. You will have to follow the path that you're most interested in. You will have to obtain certain training and certification to work in a specialized field. You can find programs at various vocational schools.
