On this page, we answer, “What is a medical assistant?”
Assisting physicians, medical assistants primarily work in outpatient clinics and ambulatory care offices. Although a CMA certification from the AAMA is not always required in your state to work as a medical assistant, it will make you more competitive and provide better job opportunities. You should research medical assistant programs in your area to determine the best career path for you.
Medical Assistant Duties List
- Assessing patients, checking vital signs, performing physical exam
- Obtaining medical history, allergies and medications
- Caring for patients, assisting patients with removing clothing or bandages, hygiene and other daily living tasks
Places Medical Assistants Work
- General and specialized physician offices
- Medical offices and clinics
- Hospitals
- Emergency rooms
- Military Branches including Army, Navy, and Airforce
- Schools – assisting the registered nurse
- 20 more places MAs work
Images Of What A Medical Assistant Is
Video: What is a Medical Assistant?
Types of Medical Assistants and What they Do
Medical Assistant duties can be divided into 3 categories: administrative, clinical, and patient care. Some medical assistants specialize and focus on one or two areas while others perform tasks in all 3.
- Example #1: An administrative medical assistant may focus on medical coding and billing and insurance processing.
- Example #2: A specialized clinical medical assistant would focus on admitting and examining patients, assisting the physician, and providing patient care.
- Example #3: A medical assistant working in a general clinic would help with the clinic’s administrative tasks, while also assisting patients and the physician.
When asking what is a medical assistant, you may want to know more about the different types of medical assistants and the specific responsibilities and duties they perform. You can see lists of clinical, administrative, and patient duties for medical assistants and learn more about what medical assistants do here.
Medical Assistants are empathetic, hard-working, dedicated professionals. The career is both challenging and rewarding but it isn’t for everyone.
If you are interested in a Medical Assisting career you will want to read:
- Why become a Medical Assistant?
- 25 Reasons to become a Medical Assistant
- How to become a Medical Assistant
As you can see, there is a short answer to What is a medical assistant? and there is also a much more detailed answer.
We encourage you to browse our site, dedicated to answering the question what is a medical assistant while helping great healthcare professionals enter the field of medical assisting.
Questions Like What is a Medical Assistant?
If you have any other questions about the duties, responsibilities, day to day tasks etc. for medical assistants, then ask our community in the comments below.
