Unlike a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, the clinical medical assistant works under the supervision of a physician and performs assigned tasks to help with patient care. Their primary focus is on taking vital signs, preparing and processing lab specimens, and providing clerical support for physicians and other health care providers. To know more about the topic, we took help from the team at MedAssistantEdu.
Clinical medical assistants work in various medical settings, such as urgent care centres, emergency rooms, hospitals and clinics. Because the duties performed by clinical medicine assistants vary depending on where they work and with whom, their job descriptions can be very different from one another. However, all clinical medical assistants perform several everyday job tasks:
Vital signs:
One of the most critical responsibilities for a clinical medical assistant is taking vital signs, including measuring height and weight, listening for heartbeats and lungs sounds, checking blood pressure and pulse rate, and recording these measurements.
Medical history:
Before administering any treatment, the clinical medical assistant will also need to obtain a patient’s complete medical history and record any symptoms related to their illness or injury. If laboratory tests are ordered, the clinical medical assistant must follow accurate procedures for removing necessary samples and labelling them correctly before sending them to a lab for testing.
Records management:
The clinical medical assistant will also record the date and time of a patient’s appointment, confirm that necessary authorizations have been obtained and prepare reports on patients’ progress or lack thereof. This entails updating charts to reflect changes in treatment plans as needed. The clinical medical assistant may need to communicate with the patient’s primary care physician or specialist, as well.
Computer work:
In addition to taking notes and recording patient information in a medical chart, clinical medical assistants may need to enter data into electronic health records using a computer. This may include entering orders, creating appointment reminders and creating reports for physicians or other health care providers.
Billing and financial matters:
Clinical medical assistants may need to process patient payments for services rendered. This includes completing insurance forms, collecting co-pays or deductibles, filing claims and sending out statements to patients about the costs of their care. Clinical medical assistants may also have a set monthly limit on the number of patients they can see. If they meet or exceed this number, they may need to refer some patients to other health care providers in the facility.
Other duties:
Depending on where a clinical medical assistant works and with whom, their job description might include performing administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments or ordering medical supplies; participating in research; operating diagnostic equipment, or teaching patients about their treatment plans.
Clinical medicine assistant’s primary responsibilities are to help with patient care. The clinical medicine assistant’s tasks vary depending on where they work and with whom.
Medical assistants are the backbone of every medical facility. They are responsible for many patient interactions that help facilitate good communications with physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. Since clinical medical assistants work under the supervision of a physician, they might not have as much freedom to make decisions on their own as some other medical assistants do. However, clinical medical assistants are responsible for patient care and maintaining the efficiency of the work environment, which helps ensure that all patients receive quality care.
How to Become a Clinical Medical Assistant: Education and Certification
A clinical medical assistant needs to have a thorough understanding of anatomy and medical terminology and how diseases affect the body. In addition, they must be able to perform physical examinations that include taking vital signs. They also need strong observation skills to assess patients’ reactions to treatments accurately.
For a person to become a clinical medical assistant, they need to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The curriculum for these degrees typically includes courses in anatomy and physiology, microbiology, clinical medicine and medical ethics.
A clinical medical assistant also must be certified by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). This requires passing an exam that tests their medical terminology, pharmacology, recording vital signs and other critical information. Additional training might be needed in some states to obtain a license or certification to work. This may include passing an exam or completing a certain number of hours of continuing education courses.
Clinical medical assistants need to have good interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with patients and health care providers. They also need to be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment since they will often have multiple tasks to complete at once.
