How To Pass A Minor Surgery And Office Procedure Specialty Certificate Course For Medical Assistants

Transcription

1 Minor Surgery Specialty Courses for Medical Assistants 7007 College Boulevard, Suite 385 Overland Park, Kansas t: f:

2 Minor Surgery and Office Procedures Specialty Certificate Course for Medical Assistants By Andrea J Barnes, NCMA, RMA, CPhT Medical / Surgical Assistant, Licensed Certified Pharmacy Technician, ACLS Provider Copyright 2010 by National Center for Competency Testing Overland Park, KS NCCT is continually refining and creating professional development products for all certified allied health professionals. We are committed to your success. This mini course was designed to help health care professionals understand, empathize, and provide superior service to our aging population. The course is divided into chapters. There is an open-book quiz at the end of every chapter to help you assess your understanding of that chapter s material. Upon completing all the chapters, you can access this mini-course s final examination online at NCCT s website, Proceed to the Testing section, and choose the CE Test Login option and log in. Choose the Microbiology and Infection Control for Phlebotomists Final Exam. Seventy percent or better is considered a passing grade for this course. Upon passing the course s final exam, you will receive a Specialty Certificate and a sticker from NCCT signifying that you have successfully completed this course. This sticker should be placed in your NCCT Professional Development Log Book. You will also receive five clock hours of continuing education credit and the course title will be placed on your NCCT Continuing Education Transcript. Acquiring new skills and pursuing additional knowledge in your career field have always been the hallmark of a true professional. Read, learn, and most importantly, enjoy your profession more. Your new knowledge will not only increase your competence and importance to your team, but also will increase your own self-assurance in your abilities and work.

3 Course Objectives Upon completion of the Competence Certificate Course, the professional will be able to: 1. Clearly understand what is meant by sterile technique. 2. Be aware of ways to correct errors in sterile technique. 3. Understand the differences between clean technique and sterile technique. 4. List steps that are common to all procedures and relate them to specific ones. 5. Understand the concerns that a patient might have even when the procedure is a simple one. 6. Have a basic understanding of the supplies needed for minor surgery. 7. List the steps to properly clean and sterilize instruments. 8. Understand what a circulating person does. 9. Understand what a sterile or scrubbed person does. 10. Read a sample procedure in detail and relate it to other procedures. 11. Explain the role of the medical/surgical assistant in patient safety and infection control. 12. Understand the high ethical standards required when working without supervision. 13. Have greater understanding of surgical preparation tasks and the sequence that is followed. 14. Be more familiar and comfortable surgical terminology. 15. Put the patient at the center of the procedure in every respect. 16. Be more comfortable seeking employment opportunities with an understanding of what may be involved in the job. Disclaimer The writers for NCCT Competence Certificate Courses attempt to provide factual information based on literature review and current professional practice. However, NCCT does not guarantee that the information contained in these educational courses is free from all errors and omissions.

4 Minor Surgery and Office Procedures for Medical Assistants Test questions will be based only on the written material in the course itself. Study of the Video Links is encouraged for the visual demonstration of many common tasks. It is very helpful to both read the instructions and see a visual version. Where a Video Link is included, it will be marked with an asterisk*. Some videos are for demonstration only and are not done with sterile technique. This is noted on the title lines of the videos provided with the course. There may be differences between the exact methods as the videos are from different facilities. There are also reference links to provide detailed pictures of instruments and equipment that are discussed in the course. Chapter 1 Procedures for Medical Assistants A lot of job postings say it: Help physician with procedures. They seldom say what kind of procedures. Most medical assisting courses just don t have time for too much detail. There is a lot of material to learn in a year and there is a limit as to what can be simulated in class. Good programs do cover basic sterile technique and give some general ideas about setting up the supplies for simple procedures. More specific information is needed for a medical assistant to feel more confident in seeking a job that specifies procedures and to succeed in one. Review of texts and more detail on sterile technique are helpful tools and so is information about the medical equipment and supplies. Another thing that medical assistants should know is what type of procedures they might be called upon to set up and assist with and an understanding of the situations where they might be expected to scrub in. A procedure is often another term for minor surgery which is the main focus of this course. It is written for the medical assistant who is working alone and must do most or all of the tasks alone in a private office or clinic. Section A Pros, Cons and Opportunities Unit A Introduction Just as a dance is choreographed, so are surgeries; the more complex the procedure, the more there is to remember and have in place for the next part. In a hospital operating room, the tasks are divided among more people, some of them with specific advanced training. A medical assistant working as the only assistant will find the job to be a challenge. It can be a very rewarding challenge and lead to a fascinating career. It requires a very flexible attitude and a willingness to constantly learn and grow as techniques and materials change. It also requires a high degree of integrity as patient safety and comfort is in the hands of the assistant. Unit B Assistant in Minor Surgery An Overview Some jobs may involve conditions or issues that an individual might not be comfortable with. This can sometimes be indicated by the specialty of the office, but it is always fair to ask at an interview. Asking intelligent questions can show that an applicant does have the basic knowledge to do the job and honest answers from the interviewer can help determine if the applicant wants

5 to do the job. The following examples are from medical assistants who chose to decline employment or leave a job because they were not comfortable with some tasks. EXAMPLES: A medical assistant may be expected to: However: In a plastic surgery clinic, assist with procedures on the face, breast or labia, which may seem unnecessary and almost frivolous to some even giving a perception of more risk than benefit. In an OB/GYN clinic, assist with abortions. In several specialties, deal with large infected pressure sores that are contaminated with urine and feces. Apply casts of plaster or fiberglass. It can be messy, and at times difficult. Cosmetic plastic surgery can provide more self-confidence and some conditions treated by plastic surgery are life or limb threatening. Cancer survivors may require reconstruction to live a normal life. Hand surgery can restore function to an injured hand or save an injured finger. The same clinic that provides legal and safe abortions may also offer fertility treatments to couples who long to have a child and provide excellent care for high risk pregnancies. Helping to heal a large wound, with medicine or surgery, is very gratifying and well worth the effort. Cast application is a very valuable skill and many medical assistants enjoy it. These are only four very simple examples. Each specialty has both easy and pleasant procedures as well as some that may be difficult and unpleasant in some manner. There are medical assistants in every specialty that wouldn t trade their job for any other. REMEMBER: It is always fair to ask; not only the interviewer, but other medical assistants, nurses and anyone else that works in the specialty you are considering. Nursing assistants may provide valuable input about some unpleasant tasks and how they deal with them. Medical assistants are finding more positions open to them in ambulatory surgery centers (ASC). There are also some positions for medical assistants in same day surgery units in hospitals. These are most often working with nurses in pre-surgery and post-surgery patient care. Some simple procedures may be done by the medical assistant working alone after special training.

6 Building a Professional Culture of Excellence As an independent certification agency, the National Center for Competency Testing is able to provide certification and continuing education products and services for individuals, schools, or programs irrespective of their allegiance to any specific professional organization or accreditor College Boulevard, Suite 385 Overland Park, Kansas t: f: