What is a Medical Assistant?

Posted by Oslo Nov 18th 2008, 14:38

Medical assistants are a widely employed type of medical support personnel who perform light administrative and clinical duties in a variety of medical settings.

Medical assistants play an essential role in making sure any medical office runs smoothly. The profession has been around since the 1950's, and as one of the Allied Health professions, medical assistants are relied on for administrative and clinical support at hospitals and doctor's offices around the world.

Medical Assistant Duties

The job of a medical assistant is broad and varied, and requires knowledge of many different types of tasks. In general, it is the medical assistant's job to manage the office, allowing the doctor to focus on patients' medical issues. They do this by performing tasks such as:

Booking appointments
Maintaining medical records
Keeping the office organized
Taking care of routine clinic procedures

The medical assistant is the glue that keeps a medical office together. The take care of all the odds and ends, allowing doctors to dedicate more time and energy to patients.

Becoming a Medical Assistant

Because the medical assistant career has a strong outlook, more and more people are entering the field through medical assistant training programs. These programs train candidates in different areas of medical and administrative knowledge, preparing them for the role of medical assistant. Many candidates pursue degrees at online medical assistant schools in addition to campus-based schools.