A medical assistant is a significant member of the medical community as they work alongside doctors and nurses to complete the variety of daily tasks in patient care. The medical assistants perform the clinical and administrative side of the medical practice including taking vitals from the patients, collect information from patients about their medical history, submitting the billing as well as insurance information of patients, administering the doctor prescribed medications, and scheduling the patient’s appointments. The duties of the medical assistants vary depending upon the individuals and the hospital/clinic administration as some perform lab testing, change the medical dressing, remove sutures, and set up medical equipment.
The medical assistant’s demands have grown over the years as the growth of preventive medical services has fueled the need for qualified professionals. With the medical assistants performing more clinical and administrative duties, the doctors/physicians can focus on more patients. Many students who wish to become a part of the growing healthcare community choose the profession of medical assistants as it allows them to pursue their dreams without bothering about the high cost of medical education. Several different universities and colleges provide training at low costs.
Significance Of Medical Assistants
Contents
As the clinics, group practices and other healthcare facilities are rising up to the challenges of providing quality care to patients, it requires support from more workers. The medical assistants are skilled to complete the clinical and administrative duties making them the ideal choice for the healthcare industry. With the exponential increase in the number of people accessing the medical care with the federal health insurance reform (which increases the eligibility to get health insurance), the need for qualified assistants in on the high.
The support personnel has the flexibility to handle the work in the healthcare industry and offer physicians more time to check the patients.
Responsibilities Of Medical Assistant
A medical assistant must have the clinical and non-clinical skills to work in the tough healthcare settings and become proficient in their fields. They must have the expertise to work in clinics, ambulance care facilities, and medical offices with the first-hand experience of performing the multi-faceted duties. The medical assistants must work in a supporting capacity for different healthcare providers like podiatrists, optometrists, and chiropractors. They must also have the skill to work in labs, clinics, and same day surgery centers.
In New York City, most of the medical assistants are supervised by the office managers. In smaller offices, a doctor or physician oversees the assistant. The main responsibilities of the medical assistant are divided into;
- Administrative Duties: It includes duties like answering phone calls, filing patient’s medical records, scheduling appointments, handling correspondence, arranging for lab and admission services, handling billing, and bookkeeping.
- Clinical Duties: The clinical duties include preparing patients for examination, taking vital sign, gathering the medical history of patients, and assisting a physician during the examination.
Medical Assistant Career: Is It Right For You?
Free Medical Assistant Programs in NYC
Many do not have the budget to complete their medical assistant program, which stops them from achieving their goal. But, the New York City offers different medical assistant courses free of cost that will help the aspirants get the training they want without hurting their finances. Each program focusses on the different area of expertise to help the students get a career of their choice.
- Assistant Program In Phlebotomy
The Office of Adult and Continuing Education offers the free assistant program that covers various topics from maintaining electronic health records to infection control. The course lasts for 60 hours and the students with prior knowledge of medical billing and coding or nursing assistant can apply. Aspirant needs to spend money only for writing the final examination as the entire course is free of cost.
- Nursing Assistant Program
The flexible course offered by the Office of Adult and Continuing Education allows the interested candidates to choose classes that fit their schedule. Students need to submit their portfolio and attend an interview process to get accepted. The free course covers a wide range of topics and offers a chance to collect supervised hours in a medical clinic. The students can opt for the day classes with a duration of five months or the night class with ten months duration depending on their convenience.
- Registered Nurse First Assistant
The course offered by NIIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) offers a chance to learn about the anatomy, anesthesia, surgery procedure, and much more. Another course module is available that offers in-depth knowledge about the first-course topic along with surgical skills.
- Medical Billing And Coding Assistant
The free five moth course available in NYC covers the medical profession-related topics, pharmacology, healthcare law, and computer & Internet technology. The course offered by Office of Adult and Continuing Education is available to students who have acquired their high school diploma.
- Medical Assistant Specialist
The course offered by the Borough of Manhattan Community College offers students information on anatomy, electronic health records, and other significant things required to become a medical assistant.
- Hemodialysis Assistant
The course offers insight into the anatomy and physiology of the kidney and gives guidance on the hemodialysis procedure. The information and theory part of the course offered by the Borough of Manhattan Community College is completely free. But, the students need to spend $2,000 on accessing the training and practice program.
- Medical Assistant
The 16-week program available to the students from the Bronx Educational Opportunity Center equips with the skills on phlebotomy, medical law, and ethics, etc. The free course offers good exposure on areas required to become a medical assistant.
A Day in the life of Medical Assistant
The career path that any students deserve is most disrupted by the lack of finance. But, the free courses offered in New York will fulfill the dreams of students who wish to become a part of the medical community without worrying about the finances. It offers the right training and prepares students at no extra costs. The different types of training offered in NYC for the medical assistant. And these can help them thrive in the tasks necessary for the smooth functioning of the medical office.
In today’s modern world, the medical team must look into various aspects like billing, coding, lab test, etc. along with good patient care to ensure satisfaction. With the various skill sets, the medical assistants can improve their probability to gain employment in the highly competitive New York City job market.