CHOOSING A CAREER AS A MEDICAL ASSISTANT. Medical Assistants... Medical Assistants...

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1 CHOOSING A CAREER AS A MEDICAL ASSISTANT Medical Assistants... Multiskilled healthcare practitioners / professionals (MSHP) Team member Cross trained Reduce personnel costs Work in a variety of settings: ambulatory care office, clinic Medical Assistants... Perform wide variety of clinical & administrative tasks Often first provider to serve the patient & patient s family Act as link between patient & physician 1

2 Medical Assistant Roles... Promoting healing of the whole person: holism, holistic care Providing excellent customer service Educating patients Managing patient care Assuring that patient care is safe & reliable Promoting Healing of the Whole Person Hippocratic Oath First, Do No Harm. Every individual is unique & complex Treat physical, psychological, emotional & spiritual needs A holistic approach promotes a relationship of openness, trust & respect Holism demonstrates compassionate care To cure sometimes, to relieve often, and to comfort always. 2

3 Promoting Exceptional Customer Service The customer always comes first. The customer is always right. Exceptional service = a thriving business Importance of patient / customer satisfaction: Increasing number of provider choices Consumers are better educated Consumers taking responsibility for own health Increase of aging population, baby boomers Types of Customers Internal customers: patients & their families work colleagues physicians, nurses, office managers, accountants, lab technicians, & medical assistants External customers: those outside the office that supply necessary information, products, or specialized services HMO s, insurance providers, suppliers Labs, diagnostic facilities, hospitals, community resources Treat all internal and external customers with respect & attention to their needs. What goes around, comes around... 3

4 Educating patients... Educator: reinforces physician instructions medications procedures laboratory tests diagnostic tests Advocate Encourages compliance Managing Patient Care... Organization Prioritizing Efficiency Multi-tasking Challenging Demanding Exciting Assuring Safe & Reliable Care System of checks & balances Every pair of eyes coming in contact with the patient record should verify & review: documentation medications allergies correct filing of reports 4

5 Time for a break??? The Role Delineation & Job Task Analysis Studies National Professional Organizations with mutually reinforcing principles American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) Role Delineation Study American Medical Technologists (AMT) Job Task Analysis Studies Role Delineation Study AAMA Defines competencies Divided into three areas: Administrative Competencies front office Clinical Competencies back office General / Transdisciplinary Competencies overlapping skills performed in administrative & clinical settings 5

6 Role Delineation Study AAMA Administrative competencies scheduling insurance claims accounting bookkeeping Role Delineation Study AAMA Clinical Competencies: patient interviewing assisting with examinations obtaining & processing diagnostic tests administering medications documentation Role Delineation Study AAMA General / transdisciplinary competencies: professionalism communication legal concepts educating patients maintaining efficient work environment 6

7 Role Delineation Study AAMA Advanced skills: Develop & maintain fee schedules Manage renewals of business & professional insurance policies Manage personnel benefits Supervise personnel Interview / recommend job applicants Negotiate leases & prices for equipment Credentials of Medical Assistants Certified Medical Assistant - CMA AAMA, national exam & certification, not eligible Registered Medical Assistant - RMA AMT, Cuesta College students eligible with 6 months of related work experience, national exam & certification California Certified Medical Assistant CCMA Cuesta College students eligible, state exam & certification National Center for Competency Testing NCCT & MultiSkilled Medical Certifications Institute, Inc - MMCI Cuesta College students eligible, national exam & certification Certification Voluntary, usually national in scope Nongovernmental agency sponsored Indicates expertise & skill in field Provides a means of establishing a standard of care Increases marketability Managed care driven 7

8 Examinations All similar in content areas General knowledge Administrative knowledge Clinical knowledge Scope of Practice Let s take a look at this in the course syllabus Renewing Credentials AMT: annual revalidation 15 hours of continuing education each year CCMA recertify every five years 60 hours of continuing educaation Professional attributes... Project a professional manner & image Adhere to ethical principles Demonstrate initiative & responsibility Work as a team member Manage time effectively Prioritize & perform multiple tasks Adapt to change Promote profession Life-long learning, continuing education 8

9 REMAIN CALM IN A CRISIS! Personal Attributes of the Medical Assistant... Empathy - appreciate patient s viewpoint Diplomacy - tact, win-win, no ill feelings Courtesy - respect, nondiscriminatory Positive attitude - emotions, personal boundaries Professional appearance -first impression Personal attributes Critical thinking skills: Willingness / ability to subject all beliefs, especially one s own, to rational scrutiny. Rational scrutiny involves a fairminded, unbiased appraisal of several viable options in order to determine the one most likely to be true or correct Accomplished using standard rules for discovering, organizing, analyzing & evaluating relevant evidence 9

10 Personal attributes Critical thinking in decision-making Recognizing & defining a problem Gathering relevant information Generating possible conclusions Testing conclusions Evaluating conclusions Reaching decisions No decision is, in fact, making a decision to continue the status quo! Personal attributes... Attention to detail medication administration, billing, documentation Willingness to learn life-long learning Flexibility change is certain, change can be painful Proper judgment decision-making, triaging patients Personal attributes... Communication skills: Listening actively Observing for nonverbal cues Professionalism, first impressions, telephone impressions (smile ) Written, documentation in patient record, correspondence with patients & businesses 10

11 The Internet as a Healthcare Resource Unregulated Chat rooms Quality medical internet sites Reader beware. 11