Medical assistants perform routine clinical and administrative duties under the direct supervision of a physician or other health care professional.
Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients' medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, performing some quasi-secretarial duties, and handling billing and book keeping.
They instruct patients about medications and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for X-rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings.
According to the International Standard Classification of Occupations, medical assistants normally require formal training in health services provision for competent performance in their jobs.
Instructional programs include courses in business and medical communications, medical terminology, principles of health care operations, public relations and interpersonal communications, software applications, record-keeping and filing systems, scheduling and meeting planning, policies and regulations, and professional standards and ethics.
[9] Medical assistant job responsibilities vary depending on the nature and size of the health care facility where the individual works, but typically involve multiple administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, handling private medical documents, and assisting patients with the admissions process.
[10] They complete a three-and-a-half-year diploma in medical assistant (DMA) undergraduate program recognized by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
[12] The New America Foundation has criticized medical assistant programs, particularly those run by profit-making schools like Kaplan and Everest College.
[13] According to the Department of Labor, median annual salary for medical assistants in 2011 was $29,100, but students with medical-assistant certificates typically earned less than $20,000.
[21] Only individuals who have successfully completed a CAAHEP or ABHES accredited medical assisting program are eligible for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination.
To become eligible to hold the title of RMA, a student must either pass a medical assisting curriculum at a school that accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), or possess a minimum of five years experience.
The National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) is an independent credentialing organization that has administered more than 400,000 certification exams across the United States since 1989.
NCCT accepts candidates from approved medical assistant programs in colleges/universities and provides additional experiential-based qualifying routes.