What Does A Medical Assistant Actually Do?

By Author: J.J. Yong
Total Articles: 963
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Medical assistants' (MAs) daily tasks in the medical office are very broad, from answering telephones to explaining treatment procedures to patients. They handle both the routine administrative and clinical tasks. However, the main task of a MA is to keep the office clean and quiet and demonstrate healthcare professionalism for the office to run smoothly and efficiently. MAs perform the tasks which help doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel.

As all profession cannot avoid the administrative part, MAs are trained to assist doctors in this sort of secretarial work. MAs are trained to be computer literate and familiar with the software and IT use in the healthcare industry. Besides, MAs need to demonstrate good communications and writing skills as they need to answer telephones and making appointments, greeting patients, ordering supplies as authorised by doctors, handling correspondence and other administrative works such as insurance claim and medical certificate as well as billing and basic bookkeeping.

In the clinical area, MAs assist the doctors in recording patient medical histories, clarifying doctors' ...
... instructions with patients, preparing and explaining medicine prescriptions to patients as well as communicate with patients on current health issues. MAs also helps in ensuring that examination room are equipped with proper supplies and assisting doctors with medical procedures. MAs also order supplies as instructed and authorised by doctors.

In term of minor medical tasks, MAs collect and prepare laboratory specimens, perform basic laboratory tests, weigh patients, take blood pressure, draw blood, take electrocardiograms, perform suturing and change dressings.

It is noted that MAs duties may vary from office to office but their job responsibilities are more or less similar.
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