A Day in the Life of a Medical Assistant
As a medical assistant, you have a lot of patient contact. From the moment they arrive, a patient is in your care. After you take them back to the exam room, you will need to pull up the patient’s individual medical record to verify medications, allergies, and medical history. You will also record measurements of the patient’s blood pressure, height and weight.
If needed, you will help coordinate any x-ray, blood sample, injection, urine sample or other medical test needed before they see the doctor. At times, you will assist the doctor with other procedures. When test results come back from the lab or other medical professionals, you may relay those results to the patient’s doctor or nurse practitioner.
On an average day as a medical assistant, you can expect to:
- Take vitals and provide initial patient care .
- Collect specimen for blood and urine analysis.
- Coordinate laboratory samples and pharmacy prescriptions.
- Draw blood and give injections.
- Assist the doctor as needed with small, surgical procedures.
- Set up and administer EKG (Electrocardiogram).
- Handle administrative tasks, including daily schedules of patients.
- Manage the electronic medical records.
- Prepare exam rooms for patient visits.
- Greet patients and take them to the exam room.
- Sterilize and disinfect exam rooms and instruments between uses.
Being a medical assistant means your days will be busy, but rewarding. Your work helps to keep the office running smoothly and enables the doctors and other medical providers to focus on patient exams and treatments. The best part of being a medical assistant is knowing that you are helping your patients receive the best possible care.