Medical assistants serve as crucial members of healthcare teams. These professionals perform several clinical and administrative tasks to support physicians and nursing staff. The role provides a wide range of desirable benefits, including employment opportunities like primary and pediatric medical assisting, as well as roles in more unique settings.
Prism Career Institute offers a medical assistant program at campus locations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and West Atlantic City, New Jersey. Here, we explore the different settings where medical assistants can put their skills to good use.
What Does a Medical Assistant Do?
A medical assistant’s duties vary depending on where they work. Typically, medical assistants will be asked to perform a mix of clinical and administrative work.
Clinical Duties
Medical assistants may be asked to perform the following clinical duties:
- Record patients’ symptoms and update medical histories
- Measure vital signs (i.e., blood pressure, weight)
- Prepare patients for examinations or to be seen by the physician
- Explain treatment procedures in detail to patients
- Aid physicians during examinations and medical procedures
- Prepare laboratory samples
- Draw blood for laboratory testing
- Remove stitches or change wound dressings
- Instruct patients about medication as directed by the physician
- Handle prescription refill requests
- Perform electrocardiograms and other medical tests
Administrative Duties
Medical assisting may require individuals to perform the following administrative tasks:
- Greet patients and their families as they walk in
- Use computer applications to record patient data and update patient records
- Answer phone calls and answer patients’ questions
- Schedule appointments
- Fill out insurance forms with proper coding
- Arrange hospital admissions and laboratory services
- Manage billing, bookkeeping, and general office mail
- Maintain inventory of medical and office supplies
Possible Employment Settings for Medical Assistants
Because of the work they do, no day is the same for medical assistants. But variety isn’t found only in their responsibilities. Those in this role can also find great diversity in where they work. While more than half of the medical assistants employed in the United States work in hospitals and medical offices, medical assistants can perform their duties in a variety of settings. This advantage helps make medical assisting an ideal profession for individuals looking for unique employment opportunities.
Settings where medical assistants may work include:
Resorts and Cruise Ships
Resorts and cruise ships have medical departments onsite and onboard in the event guests become injured. Medical assistants are needed to provide medical aid to vacationers, passengers, and crew members. Working under the direct supervision of a physician, medical assistants in these settings offer treatment when necessary and respond to emergencies.
Airports
Travelers rushing to their gates or not paying attention can sustain serious injuries that require professional medical attention. Medical assistants aid physicians as they provide care to these individuals.
Colleges
Colleges and universities have on-campus health centers to treat students and professors who become ill or suffer from injuries. Medical assistants work at these health centers to provide a multitude of services under the supervision of the school’s physician. Medical assistants may be asked to perform immunizations and treat symptoms of the common cold, allergies, or the flu, as well as provide health and wellness education.
Hospices
Medical assistants play crucial roles in palliative care and hospice support settings. Working alongside doctors, nurses, and other professionals, medical assistants provide compassionate care that patients and their families depend on. A medical assistant’s role is to enhance the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses and those with life-limiting conditions.
Fertility Clinics
Couples, and sometimes individuals, who wish to become parents but are unable to naturally seek the assistance of healthcare professionals at fertility clinics. Medical assistants are staffed at fertility clinics and are responsible for assisting healthcare providers in the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of patients.
Weight Loss Centers
Weight loss centers assist people in maintaining healthy bodies. Doctors and trained medical staff use evidence-based approaches to create comprehensive customized and non-surgical weight loss programs to help patients lose weight. Medical assistants support the work of physicians and other health professionals.
Women’s and Family Health Clinics
These organizations provide reliable medical care and education that empowers patients and their families. Medical assistants play a vital role in the quality of care that patients receive. They work alongside other members of the medical team to treat a variety of health concerns.
Start Your Journey Today at Prism Career Institute
Individuals wishing to assist healthcare teams in unique medical settings can begin their journey by enrolling in the medical assistant program offered at Prism Career Institute. The 40-week program is offered at all three of our campus locations, in Philadelphia, PA, Cherry Hill, NJ, and West Atlantic City, NJ. The well-rounded curriculum provides students with an in-depth understanding of the profession with a mixture of classroom training and hands-on learning.
Students can apply what they learn at Prism Career Institute to pursue medical assisting roles in a variety of medical settings. Additional training may be required for some roles. Apply online today or contact us for more information.