What Is a Certified Medical Assistant?

In the healthcare field, there are numerous types of support roles one could pursue as a career. These range from nursing assistants and patient care technicians to home health aides and medical assistants. Each type of role requires specific training and education. In many cases, these types of career fields require the individual to complete an approved program at a qualified nurse school in NYC, like ABC Training Center.

CNA Training by ABC Training Center in NYC

Upon completion of the program, there could also be specific state requirements where you have to pass a certification exam to be allowed to work in that particular state, but, once certified, you can work in any state. These requirements could vary from state to state. Prior to enrolling in a program, it is recommended to review the educational requirements, as well as the type of training needed to ensure you select the most appropriate program.

Medical assistants are considered to provide multi-functions within the healthcare setting based upon the size of the practice. For instance, in a small doctor’s office or clinic, a medical assistant will perform both administrative and clinical functions.

On the other hand, in larger practices and hospitals, there are opportunities to specialize in specific job duties and functions, such as collecting lab samples and drawing blood or performing electrocardiograms.

Administrative duties a medical assistant can be expected to perform include:

  • Greeting Patients
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Answering and Making Phone Calls
  • Updating and Filing Patient Records
  • Scheduling Laboratory Services and Hospital Admissions
  • Filling Out and Submitting Insurance Forms
  • General Bookkeeping and Billing

The clinical duties a medical assistant should be prepared to perform include:

  • Assisting the Doctor During Examinations
  • Preparing and Sterilizing Examination Rooms
  • Keeping Waiting Areas Clean
  • Preparing Medications
  • Administering Medications
  • Providing Patient Education about Dietary Needs and Medications
  • Collecting Lab Samples
  • Preparing Lab Samples for Testing
  • Taking a Patient’s Vital Signs and Verifying Their Medical History
  • Explaining Procedures and Treatments to Patients
  • Phoning in Prescriptions as Directed by the Doctor
  • Drawing Blood Samples for Testing
  • Changing Dressings and Removing Sutures
  • Maintaining Inventories of Equipment and Supplies
  • Prepping Patients for X-Rays
  • Performing Electrocardiograms

As you can see, medical assistants need to be prepared to enter this healthcare career field and provide a wide range of services for both the healthcare facility and patients. As such, medical assistant training programs focus on instructing students in both administrative and clinical functions to prepare them for positions in any type of medical setting.

Certified Medical Assistant in New York City

Furthermore, after obtaining certification as a medical assistant, you are required to maintain your credentials by completing specific requirements every few years. These requirements can consist of completing continuing educational courses and earning credits or taking and passing the AAMA CMA (American Association of Medical Assistant Certified Medical Assistant) certification/recertification examinations.

The job outlook for CMAs continues to be strong and is expected to experience growth in the coming years. For more information about CMA programs from ABC Training Center, call our school at 718-618-5589 now!