Medical Assistant Professionalism and Respect for Patients

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Review important medical assistant responsibilities, concepts and skills! If you are contemplating or planning a career working as a medical assistant we  provide a creative look behind the scenes to help you evaluate your interests. Visit the New Medical Assistant .com website and evaluate your interests.

Medical Assistant Professionalism

Nowhere is the need for professional commitment and personal integrity as great as in the health care profession. While professionalism is certainly difficult to define, it encompasses several distinct criteria such as respect, competency and dedication. In the medical office where doctors, nursing staff and medical assistants are constantly dealing with people and their illnesses a medical assistant must develop and maintain personal traits that foster and promote a good rapport, trust, respect and performance.

People Knowledge and Mature Judgement

People knowledge, empathy and mature judgment must guide the care provided to any patient. This is especially crucial when the care involves touching. As a member of the health care team, medical assistants are responsible for providing complete, quality care to those who need and seek their service. This care must also be provided in a manner compatible with their patient's mental abilities, tolerance and intellectual capabilities.

1.) Common sense dictates that when medical assistants care for a patient, sensitivity to both verbal and nonverbal communication is paramount. Remember: a grin, a frown, or an expression of surprise may all be misinterpreted by the patient.

2.) Explanations and reassurances will go far in preventing misunderstandings of actions or intentions.

Religion and Nonreligious Beliefs

A large majority of people have some form of belief system that guides many of their life decisions and to which they turn to in times of distress. Medical assistants must accept the religious or nonreligious beliefs of others as valid for them, even if they personally disagree with such beliefs.

A person's religious beliefs frequently helps them give meaning to suffering and illness; those beliefs may also be helpful in the acceptance of future incapacities or death. Although medical assistants may offer religious support when asked and should always provide chaplain referrals when requested or indicated, it is not ethical for medical assistants to abuse their patients by forcing their beliefs (or non-beliefs) upon them. Medical assistants must respect their freedom of choice, offering their support for whatever a patient's needs, desires and religious beliefs may be.

To learn more about the medical assisting career please visit Medical Assistant NET on the Web.

Proper Supervision of Medical Assistants: Doctors Take Massive Risks

Little oversights, simple miscommunication, unintended slip-ups, distractions and kind favors can lead to serious consequences and repercussions for each individual medical assistant, the doctor under whom they work, the patient and everybody else involved.

Medical Assistant Charged with 10 Felonies and Unlawful Practice

A medical assistant was arrested in 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada for administering Botox treatments in her role while under the direction of a doctor. She was under the impression that she was simply doing what all medical assistants do and it never crossed her mind that she may be practicing outside her scope of practice as legislated by the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners. Nevada law prohibits medical assistants from administering any kind of medications, this includes giving injections. While the restriction had largely gone unenforced it wasn't until this medical assistant's arrest on 10 felony counts on allegations of "unlawful practice of medicine" received media attention. The unsuspecting medical assistant's whole world came to a crashing halt when she was charged.

UPDATE:
Betty Guerra’s nightmare is over. On October 14th the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that the 45-year-old former medical assistant learned from her attorney that the 10 felony counts against her on allegations of “unlawful practice of medicine” will be dismissed. The State Medical board reversed its position, determining that state law allows medical assistants to administer everything from flu shots to Botox as long as they are under the “direct supervision” of a physician; meaning the doctor is on the premises.

Doctors Taking Massive Risks

Another medical assistant was fired in 2011 in Fort Collins, Colorado after inadvertently putting young children in harms way. She only administered half the amount of a pre-measured children's influenza vaccine to children in the pediatrics office. Assuming it was an adult dosage in the vial, she simply withdrew half the amount of the vial into the syringe and administered it, hence each child recieved only half the required dosage. In addition, after drawing up the vaccine from the vial the assistant removed the needle from the syringe and replaced it with a sterile needle, but not a new syringe, potentially exposing each child to bloodborne pathogenes and serious infections by reusing the syringe.

Safety Guidelines in the Administration of Medications

Medical assistants must never be tempted to do, or say, more than they should and never attempt procedures that they weren't adequately trained and properly supervised to do. They should administer only those medications for which the physician has written and signed the order and must always check with the ordering doctor when in doubt about any medication dosage. When dispensing medications, they must carefully check to make sure that everything on the medication order corresponds exactly with the label on the package or container and medications that are not clearly labeled should never be used, or put back into the medicine closet.

You might ask: "What are the 5 Rs?"

To learn more about the medical assisting career please visit Medical Assistant NET on the Web. 

Finding the Dream Job of Becoming a Medical Assistant

How to find the dream job of becoming a medical assistant?

The medical field is the only area that can never get saturated at all. No matter what era you live in, no matter what place you live in and no matter what, but there is and always be need of a professional and energetic medical staff all over the world. However, becoming a medical assistant will require serious planning and dedication.

The path of getting into the field of medical assisting though will be decided by your very own choice and needs. There are various options that you should keep open at the time of choosing the correct path for your career. We will make sure that we provide you a firm base for making your decision in the right direction of your career by providing the basic 3 tips. These 3 tips will make your path smooth and comfortable to reach your destiny

Tip # 1: Online Job Placements

Like any other products or services, hiring people online is also becoming a very frequently used practice in recent times. That’s the reason why more and more job announcements are taking place on online job portals. These job portals possess different categories for different specialist field; there you will also find a category for medical assisting.

The best part of online job placements is that it will clear you at the description of the job opening that what certifications are required for you to apply for a certain job. In this way, you can learn what certification you need to have to get better medical assistant jobs.

Tip # 2: Reliable Technical or Vocational Centers

There are plenty of reliable technical or vocational centers that enable you to gain very precious experience in medical assisting. These centers are very different from traditional colleges or university and provide you hands on practical training that helps you to get into top ranked institutions as medical assistant.Even if you are found to be good enough professional with skills, professionalism and ability to cope with any situations, then these temporary centers can also hire you on permanent basis. This is a great way to interact with real life experienced people and analyze your own self as a new comer in this profession.

Tip # 3: Resume Should Be Appealing

Resume is often the most underestimated part of getting a job as medical assistant or even in any other profession. Your resume should be appealing to the employers and show a proper analytical picture of your skills, experience and ability to lead from the front. You must explain your career goals, your motivations and the dedication to reach your destiny. If your resume holds these ingredients of a successful resume, you will most likely be able to fetch a very high paying job soon.

Thus, if you give proper attention and concentration on these under-rated points, you will increase the chances of getting selected for medical assistant jobs.

Last but not the least, are you looking for best medical assistant jobs? Here is what you should look for!

Proper Utilization and Supervision of Medical Assistants

Medical Assistant Supervision | Proper Utilization and Evaluation of Skills

United States laws restrict who can give medical and health advice, or apply certain medical treatments and modalities to patients, making the unauthorized practice of medicine a serious crime. Physicians and non-physician practitioners (physician assistants, or nurse practitioners) are in charge and responsible for the care of their patients and must keep a watchful eye over those to whom they delegate tasks.

Practicing Medicine Without a License

Between 2000 and 2007 the state Board of Medicine and State Board of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania has fined 57 people for unlicensed practice of medicine, among them numerours medical assistants. One of the more infamous cases involved a Pennsylvania certified medical assistant, who, acting on a doctor's orders, administered an experimental intravenous drug treatment that killed a 5-year-old boy in 2005. The doctor who authorized the unapproved treatment for autism spectrum disorder faces civil and criminal charges including manslaughter. The medical assistant, who reportedly never administered an IV-push before, has not been charged.

Proper Utilization of Medical Assistants in the Medical Office

Procedures that may lead to medical acts of negligence and scope of practice violations must be recognized so that they can be prevented. Such may include assigning procedures to medical assistants that cannot be delegated under the state's medical practice law, or performing procedures that carry a higher risk of injury, such as injections, venipunctures, radigraphic imaging, ultrasound, and other procedures where a medical assistant must first have been properly trained, instructed, taught and supervised.

Read a summary of the Medical Assistant's Scope of Practice here. To learn more about the medical assisting career please visit Medical Assistant NET on the Web.