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Incredibly Easy Steps To Be A Perfect Medical Assistant
by Danni R., CMA, CCMA, CMAA |
13
Incredibly Easy Steps To Be A Perfect Medical Assistant
(You are right, of course I am exaggerating!)
Formal training in medical assisting, while generally
preferred, is not always required. Some medical assistants
are trained on the job, although this is becoming more and
more less common than in the past. Applicants usually need
a high school diploma or the equivalent. Recommended high
school courses include mathematics, health, biology,
typing, bookkeeping, computers, and office skills. Because
medial Assisting students must acquire both administrative
skills, and competencies, and clinical skills and
competencies prior volunteer experience in the healthcare
field, or working as a nurse assistant or home health aide
can be very helpful.
Although there is no licensing for medical assistants,
some States require them to take a test or a course before
they can perform certain tasks, such as taking x-rays.
Employers prefer to hire experienced workers or certified
applicants who have passed a national examination,
indicating that the medical assistant meets certain
standards of competence.
There is no easy recipe for making the perfect medical
assistant; in fact, it takes hard work, interest,
uniqueness, and a dedication that comes from deep within.
Some may think it all starts at the medical office, where
the medical assistant works diligently, side by side with
the physician and other health care professionals,
applying all skills learned. But this could not have been
achieved without the knowledge and willingness to share
with others during your training. In other words: Your
success begins in the class room, and continues at the
work place! A typical curriculum usually includes, but is
not necessarily limited to:
1.) Anatomy and Physiology
(a) Anatomy and physiology of all the body systems
(b) Common pathology/diseases
(c) Diagnostic/treatment modalities
2.) Medical Terminology
(a) Basic structure of medical words
(b) Word building and definitions
(c) Applications of medical terminology
3.) Medical Law and Ethics
(a) Legal guidelines/requirements for health care
(b) Medical ethics and related issues
(c) Risk management
4.) Psychology
(a) Basic principles
(b) Developmental stages of the life cycle
(c) Hereditary, cultural and environmental influences on
behavior
(d) Mental health and applied psychology
5.) Communication
(a) Principles of verbal and nonverbal communication
(b) Recognition and response to verbal and nonverbal
communication
(c) Adaptations for individualized needs
(d) Applications of electronic technology
(e) Fundamental writing skills.
6. Medical Assisting Administrative Procedures
(a) Basic medical office functions
(b) Bookkeeping and basic accounting
(c) Insurance and coding
(d) Facility management
7.) Medical Assisting Clinical Procedures
(a) Asepsis and infection control
(b) Specimen collection and processing
(c) Diagnostic testing
(d) Patient care
(e) Pharmacology
(f) Medical emergencies
(g) Principles of radiology
8.) Professional Components
(a) Personal attributes
(b) Job readiness
(c) Workplace dynamics
(d) Allied health professions and credentialing
9.) Externship
(a) A minimum of 160 contact hours
(b) Placement in an ambulatory health care setting
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Danni R., CMA, CCMA, CMAA
Founder/Owner/Web Site Maintenance:
Advanced Medical Assistant of America
http://www.certmedassistant.com
Medical Assistant Net
http://www.medicalassistant.net
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| About
the Author |
Danni
R. is a certified medical assistant through the AAMA and
NHA, and MA Instructor at such well known vocational
training institutions. Her background is a unique blend of
healthcare sciences and freelance web design and graphic
arts, which makes her the ideal author for medical
assisting articles and online courses. It is this fusion
of contrasting disciplines that makes her work so
successful on the Internet!
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