What Is A Clinical Medical Assistant?

What Is A Clinical Medical Assistant?

The healthcare field is thriving, with hospitals and clinics adding over 70,000 jobs in just one month earlier this year. Although doctors might be the first people who come to mind when you think of healthcare professionals, hospitals and clinics couldn’t run without the help of other professionals like medical assistants who are equally devoted to providing patients with the best care. Becoming a medical assistant is an option worth exploring if you want to enter the growing healthcare industry without the need to spend years in school.

Read on to learn about the duties of a clinical medical assistant and the steps you need to take to become one.

What Is a Clinical Medical Assistant?

Clinical medical assistants help hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other medical facilities run smoothly by performing a wide variety of tasks, both administrative and patient-facing. A clinical medical assistant is a medical assistant whose role has a greater degree of focus on directly assisting doctors and nurses perform patient care, and less emphasis on clerical work.

These trained individuals help with common procedures and tests, streamlining the treatment process and providing the ideal patient experience. Clinical medical assistant jobs are typically available in rehab facilities, hospitals, and urgent care centers.

Job Duties of Clinical Medical Assistants

The focus on patient care sets a clinical medical assistant apart from other types of assistants. When you complete medical assistant school and begin working, you’ll be tasked with minor medical responsibilities to assist nurses and doctors.

Standard job duties include:

  • Disinfecting medical tools
  • Taking and preparing patient samples
  • Administering injections and medication
  • Assisting during patient examinations
  • Recording patient vital signs

Other tasks you may handle as a clinical medical assistant include things like preparing a patient for procedures and preparing rooms for patient visits. It’s also possible that you may occasionally be called upon to help with administrative tasks to keep the facility running smoothly.

Requirements to Become a Clinical Medical Assistant

Prior Education

Compared to some other roles in the healthcare industry, the educational barriers for becoming a clinical medical assistant are relatively low. To enroll in a clinical medical assistant training program, you’ll only need a high school diploma or equivalent.

Training

You’ll prepare for work as a clinical medical assistant in a vocational training program where you’ll earn a Diploma. At PCI Health Training Center, our medical assistant program can be completed in as little as nine months. As part of the program, you’ll go through an externship where you work in a real medical facility under the supervision of doctors and nurses so that you can get hands-on experience.

Certification

Upon graduating as a medical assistant, the final step is to pursue professional certifications such as the national Association for Health Professionals (NAHP) certification. Professional certifications demonstrate your competence to potential employers and can give you a leg up in the job market.

Start Your Medical Assistant Training Today

Your path to a career in the growing healthcare field can start at PCI.  Take the first step toward by reaching out for more information on our medical assistant program today.