Medical Assistants
An occupation in Health Services
In Demand in the High Growth industry: Health Care
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Jobs in New York
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| Job Description |
Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
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| Interests |
Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
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| Tasks |
1. Record patients' medical history, vital statistics and information such as test results in medical records.
2. Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
3. Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
4. Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
5. Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
6. Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician.
7. Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
8. Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets and physicians' instructions to patients.
9. Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments and materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
10. Collect blood, tissue or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
11. Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
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| Skills |
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
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| Knowledge |
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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| Education |
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.
Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.
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| School Programs |
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The college search results are undergraduate programs associated with Medical Assistants.
Further education may also be required to pursue this career.
The training search results include both short and long-term programs associated with Medical Assistants,
and may be more appropriate for adult and non-traditional students. Further training may also be required to pursue this career.
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Medical Office Management/Administration. - A program that prepares individuals to manage the specialized business functions of a medical or clinical office. Includes instruction in business office operations, business and financial record-keeping, personnel supervision, medical and health care policy administration, conference planning, scheduling and coordination, public relations, and applicable law and regulations.
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Medical Office Assistant/Specialist. - A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of office managers and other professionals, to perform routine administrative duties in a medical, clinical, or health care facility/system office environment. Includes instruction in general office skills, data processing, office equipment operation, principles of medical record-keeping and business regulations, medical/clinical office procedures, and communications skills.
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Medical Reception/Receptionist. - A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of office managers, nurses, or physicians, to provide customer service, visitor reception, and patient intake and discharge services. Includes instruction in medical office and health care facility procedures, medical terminology, interpersonal skills, record-keeping, customer service, telephone skills, data entry, interpersonal communications skills, and applicable policies and regulations.
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Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder. - A program that prepares individuals to perform specialized data entry, classification, and record-keeping procedures related to medical diagnostic, treatment, billing, and insurance documentation. Includes instruction in medical records and insurance software applications, basic anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, fundamentals of medical science and treatment procedures, data classification and coding, data entry skills, and regulations relating to Medicare and insurance documentation.
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Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary. - A program that prepares individuals to perform the duties of special assistants and personal secretaries for practicing physicians and nurses, health care facilities and services administrators, and other health care professionals. Includes instruction 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, applicable policy and regulations, and professional standards and ethics.
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Medical/Clinical Assistant. - A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians, to provide medical office administrative services and perform clinical duties including patient intake and care, routine diagnostic and recording procedures, pre-examination and examination assistance, and the administration of medications and first aid. Includes instruction in basic anatomy and physiology; medical terminology; medical law and ethics; patient psychology and communications; medical office procedures; and clinical diagnostic, examination, testing, and treatment procedures.
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Anesthesiologist Assistant. - A program that prepares individuals to assist anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists in developing and implementing patient anesthesia care plans, including preoperative, surgical theater, recovery room, and postoperative/intensive care procedures. Includes instruction in patient data collection, catheter insertion, airway management and drug administration, assisting the administration and monitoring of regional and peripheral nerve blockades, support therapy, adjusting anesthetic levels during surgery, interoperative monitoring, postoperative procedures, pain clinics and patient education, and administrative tasks.
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Chiropractic Assistant/Technician. - A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of a chiropractor, to provide patient management, examination, and treatment services. Includes instruction in the principles and procedures of chiropractic; radiographic X-Ray procedures and techniques; X-Ray film analysis and media studies; orthopedic and neurological testing; clinical laboratory procedures; patient management and education; office administrative skills; and applicable law and regulations.
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Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other. - Any instructional program in allied health and medical assisting services not listed above.
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Optometric Technician/Assistant. - A program that prepares individuals to assist optometrists in providing patient care, administering examinations and treatments, and performing office administrative functions. Includes instruction in applied anatomy and physiology of the eye, visual testing, patient communication, patient preparation, medications and administration, dispensing and fitting of eyeglasses and contact lenses, record-keeping, and office management skills.
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Ophthalmic Technician/Technologist. - A program that prepares individuals to assist ophthalmologists and optometrists in examining and treating patients with vision problems, vision disorders, and eye diseases. Includes instruction in taking patient histories; administering directed treatments and topical medications; diagnostic test procedures and equipment operation; anatomical and functional ocular measurements; patient care and instruction; ophthalmic and surgical equipment maintenance; safety and sterilization procedures; and office administrative procedures.
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Orthoptics/Orthoptist. - A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of ophthalmologists, to analyze, evaluate, and treat specific disorders of vision, eye movement, and eye alignment in children and adults. Includes instruction in eye anatomy, neuroanatomy, physiology, pharmacology, ophthalmic optics, diagnostic testing and measurement, orthoptic treatment therapy, systemic ocular diseases and disorders, principles of surgery, examination techniques, patient education, child psychology and development, learning disabilities, medical writing, and record-keeping.
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| Wages |
In NY the average wage for this occupation was:
$24,160 for entry level workers, and $34,790 for experienced workers.
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| Job Outlook |
Based on the total number of annual openings and its growth rate, the employment prospects for this occupation are described as Very Favorable.
During 2006, there were approximately 18,060 Medical Assistants employed in NY.
We estimate that in 2016 there will be 23,540 employed in NY. This represents an increase of 550 job(s) each year, and a total of 220 job openings each year.
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| Additional Resources |
Medical Care Technicians - Visit this link for information on this career in the military.
Healthcare: Get Into It! - Healthcare: Get Into It! has been created as a way to explore some of the possibilities of health care careers and give you the opportunity to develop a road map to your future. Health care encompasses many disciplines and information is important. The topics include: Interest Assessment Tool, Career Options,Job Shadowing/Mentoring Programs,Career Planning, Education & Training, and Financial Aid.
Medical assistants - Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
University of Rochester Medical Center: Life Sciences Learning Center Teacher Programs - Put on a lab coat and experience a variety of hands-on laboratory investigations and workshops available at the Life Sciences Learning Center (LSCL). These professional development workshops are offered to give educators experience with cutting edge science technologies. These hands-on workshops also provide teachers with innovative instructional materials that align with New York State Math, Science and Technology Standards.
University of Rochester Medical Center: Life Sciences Learning Center Student Programs - The variety of laboratory investigative topics are designed for groups of students accompanied by their teacher to introduce students to scientific concepts and advances through hands-on inquiry-based learning methods. The programs are 2.5 to 4 hours in length and align with the New York Standards Core Curriculum. Science Out Of School offers informal hands-on activities Saturdays and Holidays.
Summer Scholars 2007 - Summer Scholars 2007 is a health career exploration opportunity that immerses students in a health care setting for six weeks, introducing them to the daily work tasks and responsibilities of a healthcare provider or allied health professional.
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