Unique Work Settings Engage Medical Assistants
With the medical field projected to grow in the future, you may be considering a career as a medical assistant. This is an outstanding choice, as your job prospects are likely to be excellent, and you can complete your medical assistant degree online through our school. Yet, before going through the necessary training and testing, you may wonder about what your work setting is likely to be. There are many unique work settings to engage new medical assistants. To help you understand what types of environments medical assistants work in today, let’s cover private doctor’s practices, group practices, hospitals, research facilities and nursing homes in more detail below. You can choose one which fits your needs and temperament well, ensuring that you find a new and rewarding career.
Private Practice
This is where many medical assistants find employment, working for a doctor who has their own private practice. In this setting you will be interacting with patients, meaning you should have a friendly and engaging disposition. Making patients feel at ease is an important part of the job, as you will have to conduct short interviews where you’ll glean and record their medical history and document their reason for visiting the doctor. You’ll be responsible for obtaining their height, weight, blood pressure and temperature as well.
Group Practice
Much like a private practice, here you will interact with patients directly, the only difference being that you will work for several doctors instead of one. Group practices typically share the same focus, whether that is a certain specialty or simply a complement of general practitioners. You’ll need to be able to multi-task and change gears quickly, as you’ll have many different bosses to answer to in this setting. Again, your duties will be similar to a private practice, as you’ll take vital signs and ask questions concerning a patient’s medical history, along with scheduling tests and even return appointments.
Hospitals
In terms of medical assisting, this is where the most action is, so it is a good fit if you are an energetic person who loves a fast-past environment. A hospital is likely to provide more variety in patient care, and to deliver challenges on a daily basis. Here you’ll be seeing a wide gambit of patients, and responsible for providing short term care. The specialty which you pick will determine what your specific duties are likely to be, depending upon what focus you choose. For example, you may work on the bariatric floor, caring for patients after surgery or preparing them to undergo a procedure. In contrast, if you are on a maternity ward, you’ll have a very different set of tasks to carry out. Here you’ll often be asked to fill out paperwork in regards to the patient, perhaps schedule procedures and field questions from patients about their prescribed medications.
Research Facilities
In contrast, research labs are much less hectic, having a much quieter atmosphere. If you are more introverted and detail-oriented, this is likely to be a better fit for your needs. Here you’ll be responsible for keeping track of laboratory specimens, filling out the appropriate forms and even getting them ready for the lab technicians to carry out testing.
Nursing Homes
Conducting short interviews with patients won’t be a normal part of your routine in a nursing home setting. Here most patients will be long-term in nature, meaning that you’ll be entrusted with watching over different needs. For example, wound dressing and bandaging could be among your duties, along with monitoring the vital signs of your patients. However, nurses typically are in charge of these, and you’ll often have more responsibility in the front office of the nursing home instead.
With good employment prospects and convenient online allied health education available from our school, the timing for becoming a medical assistant has never been better. As the above list demonstrates, you will have a variety of options to choose from when it comes to your work setting. You can choose one which fits your needs and temperament well, ensuring that you find a new and rewarding career. There are many unique work settings to engage new medical assistants. So, why not pursue your medical assistant degree online through our school now, to start building a brighter future today?