MEDICAL ASSISTING
Medical assistants handle routine administrative and clinical tasks in support of physicians and healthcare professionals. These tasks are typically performed in doctor’s offices, family and other specialized medical practices, clinics, urgent care facilities, and ambulatory care centers. Medical assistants work alongside physicians and are cross-trained to perform back-office clinical duties, front-office administrative duties, and patient education.
Specific duties of the medical assistant include:
- Recording patients’ medical history, vital statistics, and information such as test results in medical records.
- Preparing treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
- Interviewing patients to obtain medical information.
- Measuring patients’ vital signs, weight, and height.
- Authorizing drug refills and providing prescription information to pharmacies.
- Cleaning and sterilizing instruments and disposing of contaminated supplies.
- Preparing and administering medications as directed by a physician.
- Escorting patients to examination rooms and preparing them for the physician visit.
- Explaining treatment procedures, medications, diets, and physicians’ instructions to patients.
- Helping physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials and performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures.
- Collecting blood, tissue and other laboratory specimens, logging the specimens, and preparing them for testing.
The Kino College Professional Medical Assistant Program trains its students to effectively perform the aforementioned tasks of the Medical Assistant. This is done using a core curriculum that has been specifically designed to support the healthcare industry’s transformation to accountable and coordinated care. As part of this curriculum students also learn how to:
- Apply critical thinking skills.
- Use active listening skills.
- Demonstrate empathy in communicating with patients, family and staff.
- Show respect for diversity in approaching patients and families.
- Recognize the role of being a patient advocate on behalf of their patients
- Execute data management using the electronic medical record (EMR).
- Manage appointment schedules.
- Schedule patient admissions and/or procedures.
Learn more about the Professional Medical Assistant Program
