Categories: Hybrid Online Medical Assisting

Do Medical Assistants Prescribe Medication?

Becoming a medical assistant is an excellent way to break into the healthcare field. This career can be rewarding if you enjoy helping others, and it provides job security with good pay. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $42,000 for medical assistants, with about 119,800 job openings projected each year.

If you’ve just started considering a career as a medical assistant, though, you might have a lot of questions about the precise job duties of medical assistants. For example: are medical assistants involved in prescribing medication? In this article we’ll look at the responsibilities of being a medical assistant and how to become one.

What Medical Assistants Actually Do

Medical assistants are important in healthcare. They do essential office work and also help with patient care. Their job includes setting up appointments, taking vital signs, and assisting with medical procedures under supervision. They also manage patient records and assist doctors during exams.

Good medical assistant training covers all these tasks. The job keeps you busy with different activities each day. You’ll work closely with patients and healthcare providers, making a real difference in people’s lives.

Medical Assistants and Medication Management

Medical assistants perform a wide variety of tasks in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other medical facilities, including clinical tasks, there are still clearly defined limits to what they can do. For example, the answer to our earlier question about whether medical assistants can give medication is no, at least when it comes to writing prescriptions. Medical assistants aren’t allowed to prescribe medication because that’s considered practicing medicine, which only licensed doctors and some nurses can do.

However, medical assistants may sometimes help with medication in other ways. For example, they might give injections, but only under strict supervision from a doctor, physician assistant, or registered nurse. Their involvement with medications is limited and always overseen by licensed professionals.

Steps to Becoming a Medical Assistant

To become a medical assistant, you’ll first want your high school diploma or equivalent. If that requirement is fulfilled, the next step is to train for your career in a medical assisting program like the one offered by PCI Health Training Center. These training programs cover a range of topics including how to transcribe patient medical information to checking vital signs or doing basic lab work.

The Rise of Online Medical Assistant Programs

These days, getting trained as a medical assistant is as flexible as ever. PCI Health Training Center offers a hybrid medical assistant program that you can fit into your schedule and can complete in as little as 9 months.

The hybrid format consists of a mix of online classes and on-campus lab training. The online portion of the program equips students with essential knowledge on topics like front office procedures, patient record-keeping, and pharmacology. During twice-weekly lab and lecture sessions, you’ll get hands-on training in EKG, urinalysis, autoclaving, microscopy, and other important clinical job duties. The program also includes a 200-hour externship in a medical facility.

Start Your Healthcare Journey with Our Medical Assistant Program

If you’re looking to break into the healthcare industry, becoming a medical assistant is an excellent choice. With the right medical assistant training program, you can be ready to begin your new career in just a matter of months.

PCI Health Training Center’s medical assistant hybrid program teaches you the skills employers want, from basic medical procedures to office management, and the hybrid online format makes it easier to fit getting ready for your new career into your schedule. Enroll today or call 469-518-2993 for more information.