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Medical Assistant Job Description

While health care professionals are busy treating and caring for patients, there are people who look after the office and paper work. These people are known a medical assistant. They are employed in clinics, hospitals and rehab centers. Their core job is to help physicians and make it easier for them to treat patients. Medical assistants may work part or full time. Though they do paper work, their help is invaluable in health care and treatment. Some medical assistants are expected to perform light clinical jobs in addition to the paper work they do.

Job Duties:

The job duties of a medical assistant may vary from office to office and from state to state in the USA. They do a number of jobs in assisting physicians and nurses. Their jobs are more specific in large hospitals and clinics. In clinics they perform both administrative and clinical tasks. Medical assistant job duties are to:

1) Handle all administrative tasks.
2) Take phone calls and set doctor’s appointment.
3) Type letters, maintain correspondence and file bills.
4) Oversee the buying of medical equipment. Make payments and hand over checks to vendors signed by the appropriate authority.
5) Check and record height, weight, temperature and blood pressure of patients.
6) Take down patient histories.
7) Store patient details in the computer.
8) Keep records for tax and insurance purposes.
9) Perform simple medical tests.
10) Perform first aid jobs and light laboratory jobs such as: administer injections, take X-rays, dress wounds and apply bandages and take electro cardiograms. This is permitted only in some states.

Knowledge and Skills:

1) Sound knowledge of computers and software programs to store data.
2) Must be thorough with medical terminology and human anatomy.
3) Accounting skills should be good.
4) Good at insurance and tax filing procedures.
5) Ability to handle medico legal cases.
6) Calm while dealing with trauma and emergency cases.

Educational Qualification and Experience:

1) A diploma from vocational school or two years associate degree from a community college is sufficient to apply for the post of a medical assistant.
2) A medical assistant may obtain certification from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). This may improve their chances of employment.

Salaries and Benefits:

1) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the median wages of a medical assistant was $28, 300 in 2008.
2) They are eligible for standard benefits as determined by their employers.