What Do Medical Assistants Do?

By providing services for both patients and medical professionals, medical assistants play a crucial role in the healthcare industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that this field is rapidly growing, and it is expected to increase by 29% between 2016 and 2026. This data supports the widespread belief that medical assistants are the backbone of the medical industry, since their contributions to both patient care and administrative tasks are essential in daily operations. Given this, it is worth understanding more about about what medical assistants actually do.

What Is the Scope of a Medical Assistant’s Duties?

Depending upon their location, employer, and other related factors, the day-to-day tasks of medical assistants can vary greatly. However, in general, they perform both patient-centered functions and administrative functions.

To What Degree Are Medical Assistants Involved in Patient Care?

Common patient care tasks may include taking vital signs, recording patient health histories, and administering injections or other samples for testing. If they are working within a distinct medical specialty, they may also complete tasks such as preparing patients for X-rays, taking electrocardiograms, changing wound dressings, removing stitches, conducting basic lab tests, educating patients on medication specifications, and assisting the treating physician in any other way they may need assistance.

What Kind of Administrative Duties Are Required of a Medical Assistant?

Medical assistants may also perform administrative tasks. Examples of these tasks include scheduling examinations or appointments, answering phones, taking messages, entering patient information using proper codes, greeting patients, bookkeeping, coding and completing insurance forms, calling other facilities to arrange diagnostic services, and performing any other administrative tasks that may be required by the other healthcare professionals at the facility.

As you can see, the daily tasks of medical assistants can vary greatly. It depends upon the needs of the facility. Individuals who enjoy learning new things and having a lot of variation in their day would likely do well in a medical assistant career.