Which statement best describes the relationship of administrative and clinical medical assisting responsibilities?

[Intro paragraph] The best medical assistant job descriptions provide two to three sentences that will introduce the prospective employees to your company, culture, and working environment. This is where you can sell your hospital or medical facility to job seekers and set yourself apart from competing job listings. Be detailed in your description of the role, as medical assistant duties in primary care will differ from those for surgical care.

Table of Contents Show

Important Qualities
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Advancement

Medical Assistant Duties and Responsibilities:

Helps patients by providing information, services, and assistance.
Maintains medical supplies inventory and performing preventive maintenance to keep medical equipment operating.
Verifies patient information by interviewing patient, recording medical history, and confirming purpose of visit.
Prepares patients for examination by performing preliminary physical tests; taking blood pressure, weight, and temperature; and reporting patient history summary.
Saves doctors’ time by helping with office procedures.
Secures patient information and maintains patient confidence by completing and safeguarding medical records; completing diagnostic coding and procedure coding; and keeping patient information confidential.
Counsels patients by transmitting physician’s orders and questions about surgery.
Schedules surgeries by making arrangements with the surgical center; verifying times with patients; and preparing charts and pre-admission and consent forms.
Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing and following standards and procedures and complying with legal regulations.
Keeps supplies ready by inventorying stock, placing orders, and verifying receipt.
Keeps equipment operating by following operating instructions, troubleshooting breakdowns, maintaining supplies, performing preventive maintenance, and calling for repairs.
Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities and reading professional publications.
Serves and protects the practice by adhering to professional standards; facility policies and procedures; and federal, state, and local requirements.
Enhances practice reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests, and exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

[Work Hours & Benefits] It’s always a good idea to highlight the work hours and benefits specific to your medical facility. Potential medical assistants want to learn things like team size, nurse-to-patient ratios, and shift rotations. You can also highlight any of the benefits that set you apart, like childcare reimbursements, commuter benefits, and tuition or continuing education credits.

Medical Assistant Qualifications/Skills:

Supply management
Verbal communication
Infection control
Creating a safe, effective environment
Organization
Scheduling
Professionalism
Customer focus
Confidentiality
Bedside manner
Medical teamwork

Education, Experience, and Licensing Requirements:

Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
Bachelor’s degree preferred
1+ years in a medical office
Experience with EMR (electronic medical records), medical terminology
Previous experience in specific medical field preferred

[Call to Action] The best job descriptions not only entice potential medical assistant applicants to apply but also teach them how to do so by including a call to action. For instance, you can let prospective employees know whether you’d like them to submit an application by clicking on the apply button at the top of the job listing, or if you’d rather they email an application, resume, and supporting documents to a specific person at your facility.

Crafting a detailed, targeted job description is only the beginning of your search for the perfect medical assistant. Next, you’ll need to get it in front of a wide range of qualified candidates before you make your decision. Monster can help you find plenty of top candidates in a short amount of time, and you can get started by posting your job ad for free.

Assistants may update a patient's medical file, fill out insurance forms, and answer telephone calls in a practitioner's office.

Most medical assistants have a postsecondary education award such as a certificate. Others enter the occupation with a high school diploma and learn through on-the-job training.

Education

Medical assistants typically graduate from postsecondary education programs. Although there are no formal educational requirements for becoming a medical assistant in most states, employers may prefer to hire assistants who have completed these programs.

Programs for medical assisting are available from community colleges, vocational schools, technical schools, and universities and take about 1 year to complete. These programs usually lead to a certificate or diploma. Some community colleges offer 2-year programs that lead to an associate’s degree. All programs have classroom and laboratory portions that include lessons in anatomy and medical terminology.

Some medical assistants have a high school diploma or equivalent and learn their duties on the job. High school students interested in a career as a medical assistant should take courses in biology, chemistry, and anatomy, and possibly business and computers.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Medical assistants must be able to understand and follow medical charts and diagnoses. They may be required to code a patient’s medical records for billing purposes.

Detail oriented. Medical assistants need to be precise when taking vital signs or recording patient information. Physicians and insurance companies rely on accurate records.

Interpersonal skills. Medical assistants need to be able to discuss patient information with other medical personnel, such as physicians. They often interact with patients who may be in pain or in distress, so they need to be able to act in a calm and professional manner.

Technical skills. Medical assistants should be able to use basic clinical instruments so they can take a patient’s vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Training

Medical assistants who do not have postsecondary education certificates learn their skills through on-the-job training. Physicians or other medical assistants may teach a new assistant medical terminology, the names of the instruments, how to do daily tasks, how to interact with patients, and other tasks that help keep an office running smoothly. Medical assistants also learn how to code both paper and electronic health records (EHRs) and how to record patient information. It can take several months for an assistant to complete training, depending on the facility.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Medical assistants are not required to be certified in most states. However, employers may prefer to hire certified assistants.

Several organizations offer certification. An applicant must pass an exam and have taken one of several routes to be eligible for each certification. These routes include graduation from an accredited program and work experience, among others. In most cases, an applicant must be at least 18 years old before applying for certification.

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies, part of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, accredits five certifications for medical assistants:

Some states may require assistants to graduate from an accredited program, pass an exam, or both, in order to practice. Contact the state board of medicine for more information.

Advancement

With experience, medical assistants can specialize and move into leadership roles. With more education they may advance into other healthcare occupations such as registered nurse, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner.

Intro to Medical Assisting Final Exam62) Which of the following is considered confidential health information?