What Are An Entry-Level Medical Assistant’s Duties And Responsibilities?

What are an entry-level Medical Assistant’s duties?

Working as a medical assistant is a popular career choice for many people looking to start working in healthcare. In a U.S. News & World Report Best Healthcare Support Jobs rankings, the position ranked #18.

But what does an entry-level medical assistant do?

Entry-Level Medical Assistant’s Duties And Responsibilities

Here’s a quick overview of the common job duties and responsibilities you can expect when you start working as a medical assistant.

Clinical and Administrative Work

Your work as an entry-level medical assistant will vary according to the type of medical facility where you’re hired and the split of administrative and clinical duties and responsibilities. With this in mind, you can expect to perform some or all of the following job duties and responsibilities:

Administrative Work (Front Office)

• Scheduling patient appointments
• Recording patient history and personal information
• Answering and making phone calls
• Verifying insurance eligibility and benefits
• Processing authorizations for HMO and Medicare office visits

Clinical Work (Back Office)

• Checking patients in and out
• Measuring vital signs
• Assisting the physician with patient examinations
• Administering patients injections or medications as directed by the physician
• Blood draws (if CPT-1 certified)
• Preparing blood samples for laboratory tests
• Performing EKGs

Where Can You Expect to Work After Graduating a Medical Assisting Program?

An entry-level medical assistant can expect to find work at any of the following medical facilities:

• Primary or specialty care physician’s offices
• Hospitals
• Outpatient clinics
• Nursing care facilities
• Medical research centers
• Community health centers

Additionally, there’s a growing opportunity to work outside of a medical facility, accompanying a physician to provide mobile healthcare at patient’s homes.

A medical assistant plays an important and versatile role in providing people with quality healthcare, helping patients feel at ease and relieving physicians from many clinical and administrative duties. They are the ‘face’ of today’s healthcare team. Now that you’ve learned some of the duties and responsibilities for this crucial healthcare support worker – can you see yourself as that person?