The need for skills in all fields of life can’t be over emphasized. The medical field is one of such fields. Medical assistant skills are extremely needed for one to succeed in that role. We will delve into the skills a medical assistant should harness.
See: How To Get A Medical School Scholarship
Clinical Skills For Medical Assistant
As a Medical assistant, your primary responsibility is to ensure that patients are comfortable and well taken care of.
You also have to make sure some things are done before a patient can see the doctor or the physician. These are the most important skills needed to be a medical assistant.
1. Checking the Body’s Basic Signs
You may be asked to check the patient’s body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, oxygen levels, and breathing rate.
You have to tell the doctor about these numbers. Because of that, they can continue with figuring out what is wrong and how to fix it. As a medical assistant, you need to be able to check and record important body signs and tell the doctor about them.
2. Caring for the Injuries
Sometimes, all you need to do to cover up a wound is to put a bandaid on it. But sometimes, it is important to take extra precautions to make sure the wound is free from dirt and germs.
If you become a medical assistant, you need to know how to dress wounds. As you learn more, you can learn to use special dressings, and you can talk about that on your resume.
3. Collecting Blood, Urine and other Samples
As a medical assistant, you may need to take blood samples by puncturing a person’s vein. In your training program to become a medical assistant, you learn the basics of phlebotomy, which is enough for someone who is just starting out.
In addition, you need to know how to collect pee and poop samples and help the patients do it.
4. Performing Electrocardiograms (EKGs or ECGs)
EKGs or ECGs are tests used to monitor and record signals in a person’s heart. It involves using a machine called an EKG Machine. These tests are very important and can help find problems like unusual heartbeats or clogged blood vessels.
Once you have received the appropriate training, you may be requested to complete these tests.
5. Do CPR
In a hospital or clinic, it’s important to be ready for sudden and urgent situations. If you work as a medical assistant, it’s crucial for you to learn how to do CPR and help patients during emergencies.
6. Taking out Stitches
As a medical assistant, it is important for you to learn how to take out stitches or sutures. You need to know how to stay safe and if you get sick, you have to tell the doctor.
If you’re just beginning your job as a medical assistant, you might have the skills to do all the medical tasks. Your training will help you learn the basics, and as you gain experience working as a medical assistant, you will be given more duties to do.
Administrative Skills For Medical Assistants
Medical assistants need certain abilities to handle administrative tasks efficiently. These skills are essential for them to perform administrative duties proficiently.
In addition to medical skills, you also need to learn how to handle administrative tasks, like-
1. Booking Meetings:
A doctor’s clinic or office is always busy with many important tasks, and sometimes patients need to make appointments. Medical Assistants help patients make appointments and work closely with doctors.
They make sure to schedule appointments when the doctor is available. In order to plan appointments well, it’s important to be structured and this makes the office or clinic run more smoothly.
2. Payment:
A Medical Assistant needs to keep track of payments, contact patients for outstanding payments, and provide information to patients on different payment options.
3. Study reminders for exams:
One important job of a Medical Assistant is to help the doctor and make their work easier. Medical Assistants have to write down the important signs of the patients who come to the clinic and keep a record of their past medical information before the check-up. This makes sure the doctor has all the patient’s information in a neat and accurate way.
4. Organizing the office means arranging and tidying up the workplace:
Another important job for a Medical Assistant is to make sure the front desk and the supplies are kept neat and orderly. Keeping the office or clinic organized helps prevent confusion and allows the physician to provide the best care for the patient.
5. The act of Prepping
Medical Assistants must get the examination rooms ready for the patients before their visit, and then clean up and organize the rooms afterwards. This helps to save time and keeps the examination rooms clean and germ-free.
Additionally, they must give patients simple information about procedures and exams when instructed by the doctor.
Soft Skills For Medical Assistants
Medical assistants need to have certain skills that are not specifically related to medical knowledge. These skills are often referred to as “soft skills” because they involve interpersonal communication, problem-solving, and professionalism.
Some examples of soft skills that medical assistants should have include good communication skills, the ability to work well in a team, empathy and compassion towards patients, strong organizational skills, and the ability to multitask effectively.
Having these soft skills can help medical assistants provide quality care and support to patients, as well as contribute to a positive and efficient work environment.
Soft skills are qualities that enable you to connect with patients on a personal level. Medical assistants need to learn and improve their communication and teamwork abilities to be more effective in their job. Here is a list of important skills for a medical assistant:
1. Communication Skills
The ability to effectively communicate information, ideas, and feelings to others in a clear and understandable manner.
Having good communication skills is crucial in the healthcare industry. This happens because when people don’t understand each other, mistakes can happen in medical decisions, and patients might not get the care they need.
Medical assistants help patients communicate with doctors so that both the patient and the doctor understand each other’s concerns.
2. Critical thinking:
Critical thinking means using your brain to think carefully and deeply about things. It involves analyzing and evaluating information to come up with reasoned and logical conclusions.
In healthcare, critical thinking is an important skill that determines the level and type of care a patient needs. Medical assistants are often the first person patients see when they need help, so it’s important for them to be able to make quick decisions in emergency situations.
3. Empathy:
Medical assistants need to understand that every patient may feel different levels of pain and hesitation, along with other emotions, as they interact with them directly.
Being a good listener and showing understanding to patients, no matter where they are from, is an important skill for a medical assistant.
4. Compassion:
If you work in a healthcare facility, it is important to be kind and caring towards others. Medical assistants need to learn and show kindness in order to give the best care to patients.
Sometimes what a patient really needs is someone who understands and cares about their worries. As a Medical Assistant, if you can be empathetic towards them, it not only benefits the patient but also improves their perception of the healthcare center.
5. Patience:
Patience means having the ability to wait calmly and not get frustrated or lose control.
Being able to control emotions and stay patient is very important for Medical Assistants when dealing with patients who are nervous or stressed out.
6. Ability to adjust and juggle different tasks
The area of helping people with medical needs is fast and always changing. So, medical assistants might need to deal with any bad or surprising situations.
A successful medical assistant should be able to do many things at once without getting stressed.
How You Can Improve these Medical Assistant Skills
Now that we’ve talked about the important skills a medical assistant needs, you may be wondering how to become a medical assistant and how to improve these skills.
You can improve these medical assistant skills by getting the right training and gaining experience. Some important ways to improve these skills are:
1. Signing up for educational programs
Many training programs are available online and in-person for Medical Assistants.
To gain Medical Assistant skills, the first and most important thing to do is sign up for a program and receive proper training.
You can take online classes to become a medical assistant, either through certification courses or degree programs. Usually, medical assistant programs last between 4 months and 2 years. They can cost anywhere from $2000 to $30,000.
Once you finish the training programs, you can take a test to become a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant.
Getting this certificate will make it easier for you to get a job because the employer will see that you have enough training and kowledge for the role.
2. Internship in a company or organization where you gain practical experience
Externships give you the opportunity to work closely with other Medical Assistants or doctors in a healthcare place.
During an internship, you can learn about what a Medical Assistant does each day and what tasks they are responsible for.
An internship helps you get real-world experience, which is helpful when searching for a job.
3. Getting more certifications or training for additional skills
You don’t have to, but you can get extra training or certifications to improve your administrative or soft skills. This could mean receiving education in how to communicate or going to a class to enhance productivity.
A certification for medical administrative assistants is called the CMAA. You can also compare two different things – CMAA and CCMA.
Also, if you have extra training that shows how well you can do your job as a medical assistant, it can give you an advantage.
This is all you need to know about the skills required for a Medical Assistant.
