What Is A Medical Assistant Allowed To Do?

Medical assistants are unlicensed employees in the healthcare system, and local and state laws require that a supervising physician, surgeon, or podiatrist must be present whenever clinical tasks, especially direct patient care procedures, are performed.

Employers, often doctors, who are willing to train their medical assistant directly on the job usually expect at least some prior related work experience in a professional office setting, but what if the medical assistant will be working on the clinical floors administering direct patient care as part of the daily routine?

We know that often there is confusion, because we receive many emails and forum post with questions about specific clinical duties. These questions almost always revolve  around whether a medical assistant is allowed to do a certain tasks, such as:

1. phlebotomy
2. X-rays
3. Holter Monitor and ECG/EKG
4. physical therapy
5. start IV lines
6. transcutaneous nerve stimulation
7. hot and cold pack treatments
8. nebulizer treatments

Despite of the continued absence of specific legislation and licensure requirement for medical assistants in many US states we caution each and everyone that authorized clinical procedures for medical assistants can change from state to state, and that there is NO universal answer.

There still are certain laws that regulate the medical assistant's duties, and spell out what a medical assistant can and cannot do, especially in a clinical setting, for example, some US states mandate limited licenses, or recognized certifications in certain medical technical procedures, such as phlebotomy, IV therapy, and exposing patients to x-rays, or certain therapeutic modalities.

This in turn, also strongly influences what should, and can be taught. If you are planning to pursue a medical assistant career, or are in charge of training a new medical assistant, but are unsure whether there are certain limits, or restrictions, the best source of information regarding the medical assistant's scope of practice is your state's Medical Board/Board of Medical Examiners, State Nursing Board, Department of Health, and professional membership organizations for medical assistants, such as the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), or American Medical Technologists (AMT) legal department.

If You Want to Become a Medical Assistant

If you want to become a medical assistant your objective is to find credible and certified medical assistant schools and programs in your local area. There are medical assisting self-study courses that you can take online to obtain your medical assistant degree or certification.Most states offer medical assistant training in both the public and private sector. This includes training from post-secondary vocational schools, vocational training institutions that are privately owned and for profit, and community colleges which are funded by the community and state, and not for profit.

Generally the training and diploma programs at any of these schools are one to one-and-a-half years. There also are online accredited medical assistant schools with programs to complete and earn a recognized vocational diploma completely online.

The Medical Assistant Net website continues to provide prospective medical assistant students with valuable information about all aspects of the medical assistant career. Page, after page, you learn about what a medical assistant is, does, and needs to know. The site also lets prospective medical assistant students instantly locate and explore vocational training schools online.

The so-called "Find a School by ZIP code" widget on top of every page throughout the Medical Assistant NET at www.medicalassistant.net website allows immediate information and lets them research more than one school at a time. Medical assistant training programs are readily available throughout the USA and Canada, and there is one for everybody that wishes to become a medical assistant often in just 9-11 months!

If you are highly motivated and see yourself eventually pursuing a career in nursing or higher, we strongly recommend that you enroll in a 2 year program at a local college or online program from a college leading to an associate in applied science degree (AS or AAS). In many cases, some of the college credits you have earned in an associate degree program can be transferred into another higher education program, e.g. to become a licensed practical nurse, RN, or earn a related Bachelors degree, such as in hospital administration, medical technician, ultrasound technologist, and health care management in the future.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Qualified Medical Assistant Training that Gets You Hired

Where so many qualified medical assistants are graduating from their formal training programs and find themselves competing with their peers for available medical assistant jobs, having medical assistant certification takes on a whole new meaning.

"After paying $9,000, I have nothing!" When Silvia Pascu laid out $9,000 to attend the Canadian Aesthetics Academy in 2007 she shared the aspirations of many new vocational students looking for a fresh start in a promising career. While we don't know any details of this particular school, nor the owner, or its faculty, we do knwo that similar stories are happening all over the USA at questionable cyber schools or sub-standard training facilities who target medical assistant students. It is very important that prospective medical assistant students thoroughly research a school or online course before signing up for anything.

Not all medical assistant vocational training programs are the same and not all vocational program graduates automatically qualify for to sit for medical assistant certification exams that lead to desired credentials that employers want when they hire.

Many medical assistant schools gear their program and curriculum toward their own preferred certification organization with which they have a contract or agreement, however, what they are not always telling their medical assistant student body is that there are additional other well recognized medical assistant certification sponsors offering their services and professional membership opportunities to those who qualify.

Showing in your medical assistant resume that you have successfully graduated from a recognized and respected medical assistant training program will not only positively influence the time it takes for you to land your fist job but also positively affect the salaries potential employers will offer you when you start.

Remember, that when you fill out your job application or submit your resume to make sure to add all your previous and present skills, knowledge and qualifications so that it matches the advertised medical assistant job description as closely as possible, emphasize the type of medical assistant training and any outstanding achievements you have accomplished and mention that you are confident and a good candidate to handle the medical assistant duties as posted in their ad.

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Tough Decisions: Online Medical Assistant Program or Campus Based?

No one can tell you which type of medical assistant program is right for you. Ultimately, you are the one who must choose which path to take to learn your medical assistant skills. Part of your decision will be based on how FAST you want to be done and finished with your training, the cost and how quickly you hope to land your first real medical assistant job.

Rule of thumb is that self-paced online medical assistant courses can be finished the fastest if you apply yourself, however, on the flip side, doctors may not be easily persuaded or convinced to hire you without having direct experience and hands on practice which you would have gotten in a campus based training program. All too many former medical assistant online students have learned a painful lesson.

Things You MUST Ask Before Signing Up for Anything...

As with any kind of education, there are things to be aware of and different programs have their pros and cons. Making a wise choice and informed decisions puts you into a position where you won't have to regret it later. Should you decide that going with a web based program better fits your schedule, budget and personality than bear in mind that no matter which online school you choose you have to ask certain questions BEFORE signing up for anything. We have put a very detailed list of questions to ask before enrolling in any medical assistant program.

First and foremost check out the fees that the online medical assistant school charges for their courses and find out about their refund policy. It is common practice of all reputable online vocational training schools to be up-front with their fees, since they realize it is important to new students to know how much they will be paying for the course. Putting forth a sincere effort to discuss all fees person-to-person over the phone helps to build trust in the school.

You will need to check out the course requirements before signing up for anything.  Each school has different requirements that must be met before entering their program. Almost all online medical assistant programs require a high school diploma while a few want you to have specific course studies from other schools. Some online medical assistant programs, especially those approved by the Department of Education, require competency in complex clinical and technical skills to earn their degree, which can only taught under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor or professional in the field who is familiar with a wide range of medical assistant duties.

There are countless medical assistant students who have told us that finding  their own clinical internship site was EXTREMELY challenging and frustrating and some of them gave up, never earning their medical assistant diploma or degree. Therefore this is probably the most important part of evaluating a prospective online medical assistant school.

Certain online programs operate on the same premise of standard schools and might require that their students complete a minimum number of hours in class room study to be eligible to graduate; so, make sure to ask whether a program is entirely web based, or partially web based. All that is required should be listed in the course description and should be discussed in person during the review process.

Academic degrees is another area where one should put fourth some effort in research before signing up for anything. If the online program does not offer the degree that you need to get the job you want, then it is useless to you as a school. Don't be discouraged, most of the online medical assistant schools, and nursing schools for that matter, allow you to achieve the type of degree that you want.

Looking for Medical Assistant Training?

Are you looking for vocational training providers or on the job training to become a medical assistant, or get a job, a better job, or improve your position in your current workplace? 

Finding the right medical assistant program remains difficult if you do not have a clear goal and don't know where to look. The vocational and post-secondary education system for high school graduates and working adults consists of countless campuses across the United States and Canada. Additionally there is a plethora of vocational self-study online programs to choose from online. Without a certain amount of help, finding the right school, or program can quickly become a daunting task.

The quickest and easiest way to find medical assistant schools and explore medical assistant programs near you is via our medical assistant schools by ZIP code search on Medical Assistant Net... our recommended vocational education and training programs provide qualified training and teach you the skills you need to land medical office and healthcare jobs. The Medical Assistant NET website is ready for all mobile devices. Visit us on your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android tablet, or PDA.

For tips on how to become a medical assistant and how to find a program that's right for you visit the  Medical Assistant NET website at medicalassistant.net

Temp Work to Bridge Time in School or Times of Unemployment

During tough economic times the job market is down and many are out of work. Not only that, for most who enroll in a vocational training or vocational rehab program to learn a skill that will get them back into the workforce it often means making a choice between work, or school. It is hard to do both. Although most vocational training institutions offer their programs in morning, afternoon and evening sessions, they demand time and focus to achieve good grades.

It is almost impossible to maintain a full time job and earn excellent grades, especially in an accelerated program, such as the typical 9 -11 month long medical assistant training courses. These medical assistant vocational training programs often require an externship to earn the desired diploma or degree, so where full time work is nearly impossible there is an answer to this dilemma:  temp or part time work.

Temp positions are available in many fields, including healthcare, especially in medical offices for medical assistants, business and computers. Taking into consideration the pros and cons, temping can be the difference between getting by and not.

Typical Requirements for a Medical Assistant Part Time Job: Strong aptitude for detail, and ability to work independently Strong organizational and problem solving skills Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Computer skills (Word Perfect, Microsoft Windows, etc.) Graduation from an accredited Medical Assistant training program Knowledge of third party payer requirements Certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), or American Medical Technologists (AMT) is preferred

Pros & Cons of Temp Work Assignments

PROS

1. Making a major difference to needy offices
2. Learning and seeing new things
3. Gaining varied experiences from different places
4. Earning more, getting better hourly pay
5. Meeting new people and making connections
6. Flexibility and freedom to say no
7. Work as much or as little as needed to get by
8. A foot in the door for a future position

CONS

1. Working in an unfamiliar work environment
2. Not knowing what is expected
3. Not being part of the established group
4. Adjusting to a new setting and people
5. Stressing out to do things right
6. Having to perform tasks right off the bat
7. Not receiving additional training
8. Possibility to be taken off of the assignment any moment

According to the American Staffing Association, temp workers can earn at least  $12 or more per hour, in most instances even considerably more than their permanent counterparts; however, they do not always qualify for benefit packages full time employees might enjoy. 

Discover Medical Assisting

Get Your Medical Assistant On


Medical assistants are in high demand.

Over 819,000 practicing physicians heavily depend on their medical assistants in the USA alone. Let us introduce you to various medical assistant vocational training programs that lead to medical assistant diplomas and degrees. We explain various medical assistant certification avenues and discuss the benefits and cost to you. For those who are already enrolled in a medical assistant school we explain the medical assistant externship and what to expect when you graduate, how to write an effective medical assistant resume and coverletter and what your duties and scope of practice will be. Last but not least we invite you to join our very active medical assistant web forum/message board to sound off and reach out to your peers. 

What Is A Medical Assistant Externship?

Succeeding In An Externship

Some people aren't familiar with the term externship. Your externship is the final step of your medical assisting training while still enrolled in the program.

The medical assistant externship is designed for several purposes. You are expected to perform duties that were learned in class, as well as to learn, solidify and refine new skills that are taught by the medical office staff. The ability to perform is important, but equally of value is your ability to be a good team member.

You must use appropriate interpersonal skills, have a professional appearance and display a good attitude. The externship gives you the opportunity to prove your dependability; attendance and punctuality are indicators of reliability and dependability.

You must be willing to help with the smaller duties, like pulling and filing patient's charts, answer the phones and organizing supplies, as well as the more critical ones, like assisting with patient intake and doing basic clinical procedures.

An externship has to do with YOU! It means you finally get a chance to put everything you have learned in the classroom to use, dealing with actual patients and medical professionals in a real medical office environment. Although many medical assistant students have some apprehension about beginning their externship, once there, they find it to be a very rewarding experience which often can lead to a first permanent job.

To learn more about the medical assisting externship and what a medical assistant does please visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Medical Assistant?

When becoming a medical assistant you are embarking in a career into which you can be trained quickly, either in an accelerated medical assistant training program near you (9 -11 months), or completely free directly on the job while earning money and where you can grow as a person and professional under the guidance of the doctor who hired you. Jobs for medical assistants are on the rise and will never cease to exist, because as long as there are doctors there will be medical assistants. Once you "get your medical assistant on" you will never be bored or sitting behind an office cubicle doing a meaningless job, rather, you will be busy helping people and making a difference in your community doing a job you love. To learn more about the medical assisting career and what a medical assistant does please visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web.

Medical Assistant On the Job Training vs. Formal Vocational Training

Medical assistant on the job training

Medical Assistant Training Options

Medical assistants can obtain their job skills either though eclectic or individualized teaching at vocational training institutions, from online medical assistant self-study programs, or through direct on the job training. On the job training for medical assistants typically focuses only on the skills that need to be handled. 

Benefits of Either on the Job Training - Or Academic...

The benefit is that this informal training counts as direct hands-on experience, while also getting paid. On the other hand, formal voc-ed training programs provide medical assistant school graduates with a diploma, or transferable academic degree and qualifies them to sit for certain medical assistant certification exams.

Medical Assistant Better Pay

Medical Training Provided by the Army!

Top Medical Careers Available in the US Army
The Army has always prided itself on the fact that it provides world class training in a variety of skills. The medical field is no different. As a soldier I have had treatment from what I feel is some of the best medical personnel in the world.

http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/300713/top_medical_careers_available_in_the.html