C H A PTER 18 Patient Care: Medical and Surgical CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Aft e r c a re f u l s t u dy of t h i s c h a p ter, you should be able to: 1. Explain the education, training, and legal requirements for becoming a medical assistant, surgical technologist, physician assistant, and EMT/paramedic, p. 105. 2. Describe the typical work responsibilities in each of these professions, p. 106. 4. Identify employment opportunities and key trends for these occupations, p. 107. 5. List and explain the benefits of membership in a professional organization, p. 109. 3. List desirable personal characteristics of medical assistants, surgical technologists, physician assistants, and EMTs/paramedics, p. 107. KEY TERMS administrative tasks clinical tasks direct patient care manual dexterity medication administration record (MAR) pathology sharps container sterile field suture (SŪ-chŭr) T his chapter profiles four professions that are all part of health care teams that provide direct medical care to ill or injured people. These occupations include the following: Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep physicians offices and other health care facilities running smoothly. Medical assisting is one of the nation s fastest-growing occupations, with excellent job prospects. Surgical technologists perform a variety of tasks before, during, and after operations so that the operations proceed smoothly and safely. Surgical technology is a rapidly growing occupation, with faster job growth expected for physicians offices and outpatient care centers. 104 LWBK951_ch18-p104-109.indd 104 6/12/11 11:00 AM
CHAPTER 18 Patient Care: Medical and Surgical 105 Physician assistants examine patients, diagnose illnesses, arrange treatment, and perform many other tasks that doctors typically do, under the supervision of a physician. Physician assisting is the seventh fastest-growing occupation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects job growth of 39 percent from 2008 to 2018. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics provide emergency medical treatment for critically ill and injured people at the scene of accidents and other locations and during transport to a medical facility. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for emergency medical technicians and paramedics will grow by 9 percent between 2008 and 2018. Health care is the largest industry in the United States. Careers in health care are excellent choices, because of great job prospects and earning potential. Learn what it takes to become a member of one of the four fields profiled here. BUILD YOUR UNDERSTANDING Objective 1: Explain the education, training, and legal requirements for becoming a medical assistant, surgical technologist, physician assistant, and emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Jumble After answering the questions below about aspects of certain health care occupations, use the circled letters to form the answer to this jumble (punctuation [e.g., hyphens, apostrophes] counts as a character). Clue: The future surgical technologist decided to quit working as a city trash collector because he preferred a more what? 1. Some medical assistants are trained on the job, but many complete a 1- or 2-year medical assisting. 2. Medical assisting programs usually include an _ in which students work at a physician s office, hospital, or other health care facility, where they apply what they learn in class and gain practical experience. 3. Certification (which is optional but generally preferred) requirements for medical assisting vary but generally include graduating from an _ medical assisting program and passing an exam. 4. To become a surgical technologist, a person must have a high school diploma or have passed a General Education Development test and must complete a training program, which lasts from 9 months to 2 years and leads to a, diploma, or associate s degree. 5. Surgical technologist raining programs combine classroom instruction, mock, and supervised work in hospitals as part of a surgical team. 6. Surgical technologists are not _, though state law may limit the scope of their work; certification is also not required, but most employers prefer to hire technologists certified by either the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or the National Center for Competency Testing. 7. To become a physician assistant, a minimum of 2 years of college and some work _ in health care is required.
106 PART IV CAREER PROFILES 8. Physician assistants receive clinical training through _, or rotations, in hospitals and clinics, which covers areas such as emergency medicine, family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery. 9. All physician assistants must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, and to keep their certification, they must pass a recertification examination every 6 years and complete 100 hours of _ medical education every 2 years through courses, journal reading, independent study, and other means. 10. To become an emergency medical technician or a paramedic, a person needs a high school or General Education Development and a driver s license. 11. Completing a formal training program at three levels is necessary to become an emergency medical technician or a paramedic, with certification required by all states at each level, each of which includes both classroom instruction and work in a hospital or _ or in the field. 12. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics must be _ by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, and, in most states and the District of Columbia, registration is required for some or all levels of certification, which must be updated every 2 to 3 years. Objective 2: Describe the typical work responsibilities of medical assistants, surgical technologists, physician assistants, and technicians/paramedic. True or False? After reviewing the section, Work Responsibilities for each profession, read the statements below and circle T if they are true or F if they are false. 1. T F In family practices, medical assistants may perform mostly administrative duties, whereas in psychiatric practices, they may do mostly clinical work. 2. T F Most states leave it up to medical assistants to determine what clinical duties they can and cannot do. 3. T F To prepare for an injection, a medical assistant must check the medication label three times when taking the medication from the shelf, when drawing it up into the syringe, and when returning it to the shelf. 4. T F Most of a surgical technologist s work can be divided into three phases: before, during, and after an operation. 5. T F To protect the patient from infection, the surgical technologist must maintain the sterile field until just before the operation. 6. T F Physician assistants always work under the supervision of a physician or surgeon and within their scope of practice. 7. T F When faced with cases that are unusual, complicated, or difficult to manage, physician assistants consult the Internet and do their best to treat patients independently. 8. T F Physician assistants working in hospitals may need to add medications to an intravenous solution, so they must know the actions, safe dose ranges, purpose of administration, and adverse effects of the medication and consider whether they are appropriate for the patient.
C H A P T E R 18 Pat i e n t C ar e : M e d i c a l an d Su rg i cal 107 9. T F Emergency medical technicians and paramedics respond by ambulance to emergency calls, so knowledge of the area and where to get good coffee is important. 10. T F Emergency medical technicians and paramedics provide many different types of emergency care, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, clear blocked airways, stabilize a fracture, or treat a collapsed lung, sometimes on their own, using established procedures, and other times by following specific instructions from a physician given by radio. Objectives 3 and 4: List desirable personal characteristics of medical assistants, surgical technologists, physician assistants, and emergency medical technicians/paramedics, and identify employment opportunities and key trends for these occupations. Crossword Complete this crossword puzzle using clues across and down to familiarize yourself with the health care fields of medical assistants, surgical technologists, physician assistants, and emergency medical technicians/paramedics. LWBK951_ch18-p104-109.indd 107 6/12/11 11:00 AM
108 PART IV CAREER PROFILES Across 4. When physician assistants show respect and compassion for the patient, they show what? (2 words) 6. Medical assistants and surgical technologists must be comfortable working as a member of a what? 7. Job growth for surgical technologists in physicians offices and outpatient care centers is expected to be faster than in hospitals, where what is lower? 8. Surgical technologist tasks like arranging the operating area and setting up and equipment require good organization and attention to detail 9. Surgical technologist tasks like counting sponges, needles, and instruments, requires accuracy and what? 11. Skill at working with their hands, to handle surgical instruments properly and quickly is what trait of surgical technologists? (2 words) 12. Physician assistants must realize that their education doesn t stop once they get their credential and be prepared for lifelong what? 13. Emergency medical technicians/paramedics must be able to work as a team as well as how? 14. What kind of skills enable medical and physician assistants to get along well with others? 17. Kind of skill that is imperative for medical and physician assistants as well as emergency medical technicians and paramedics to be able to convey information clearly 19. Medical assistants must be able to play close attention to what? 22. To be able to keep schedules, medical records, financial data, supplies, and many other items up to date and arranged in an orderly way, a medical assistant must be a good what? 23. To respect confidentiality and follow laws and ethical standards, physician assistants must have what quality? 24. To respond quickly and correctly when a surgeon asks them for an instrument or when another team member gives them instructions, surgical technologists must be good what? Down 1. Managing what is necessary in medical assisting to be able to handle several tasks at once? 2. Remaining in emergency situations is a must for medical assistants and emergency medical technicians/paramedics 3. Surgical technologists must have a strong sense of what? 5. To be able to lift and carry heavy loads, emergency medical technicians/paramedics must be in good what? (2 words) 10. To be able to make good decisions in emergency situations, physician assistants must have good what? 15. Demand for medical assistants is high because they work mostly in primary care, a growing what of the health care industry? 16. More full-time, paid positions will open up for emergency medical technicians/paramedics to replace who? 18. When surgical technologists know their own jobs thoroughly and do tasks without having to be told, they display what quality? 20. Physician assisting is the fastest-growing occupation 21. Physician assistants must be self-disciplined and capable of setting and working on their own to reach what?
CHAPTER 18 Patient Care: Medical and Surgical 109 Objective 5: List and explain the benefits of membership in a professional organization. Short Answer After reading the section, Professional Organization for each profession in Chapter 18, answer the following questions and be as specific as you can. 1. Name two professional organizations for medical assistants and the benefits they confer. 2. What is the professional organization for surgical technologists and what benefits does it confer? 3. What is the professional organization for physician assistants and what benefits does it confer? 4. What is the professional organization for emergency medical technicians and paramedics and what benefits does it confer? EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Essay Question After visiting http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2008/summer/art03.pdf and reading Healthcare Jobs You Might Not Know About, write a brief essay about either biostatisticians or cytotechnologists. In your essay, include such information as job duties, employment and earnings, and qualification and training. Does either of these careers interest you? Why or why not?