Medical assisting is a well-established and versatile role with lateral growth potential. This means you’ll have the flexibility to choose from different careers in the healthcare industry with a single vocational diploma. Comprehensive career training prepares you for many exciting opportunities that maximize your personal and professional potential. A world of possibilities awaits you.
Where Can a Medical Assistant Work?
Medical assistants can work anywhere healthcare services are provided, but their unique skillset is ideal for outpatient settings. Just over half are employed by doctor’s offices. The other 40-plus percent work in hospitals, specialty clinics, urgent care centers, and laboratories. Opportunities for medical assistants are continually expanding as more employers recognize their capabilities.
What Does a Medical Assistant Learn in a Vocational School Program?
Vocational school training prepares students for entry-level roles. Designed for beginners, the curriculum covers the clinical and administrative skills required to succeed on several career paths.
Medical Assistant programs begin with introductory courses, such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and healthcare law, laying a solid foundation to build core clinical and administrative competencies. You’ll be taught to take vital signs, record health histories, and give injections. But among the most valuable and career-defining skills you’ll learn are how to draw blood and take EKGs.
What Alternative Jobs Can a Certified Medical Assistant Apply For?
Medical assistants can work as generalists, but training in phlebotomy and electrocardiography are marketable as stand-alone skills. Certified medical assistants are qualified for jobs as phlebotomy specialists and EKG technicians, two in-demand roles that may appeal to graduates passionate about laboratory science and heart health.
Employers may include private practices and outpatient facilities that are heavily reliant on blood tests and EKG results, such as hematology, cardiology, and urgent care clinics.
What Do Phlebotomy Specialists Do?
Phlebotomy specialists collect blood samples for diagnostic testing, donation, or research purposes. It’s a technically demanding yet straightforward task with a long list of responsibilities, including:
Blood Collection
Phlebotomists draw blood from veins. Known as venipuncture, the process includes order verification, patient assessment, and site preparation. The goal is to obtain laboratory-quality specimens.
Equipment Selection
The supplies used to draw blood vary based on the test requested and the patient’s age, size, and physical condition. Needles, for example, come in different lengths and diameters, while specimen collection tubes are color-coded to show which tests they can be used for based on the additives they contain. Phlebotomists use their clinical expertise to make the appropriate choices.
Safety and Infection Control
Needle stick injuries can expose patients and phlebotomists to bloodborne pathogens. Specialists keep themselves and others safe by following the laboratory safety and sanitation protocols covered in a medical assistant program.
Sample Processing
Phlebotomy specialists label blood samples to ensure accurate identification. Even minor errors can cause confusion and delays. They also prepare samples for storage, testing, or shipment, following laboratory guidelines to preserve sample integrity.
Inventory Management
Busy laboratories use many supplies. Phlebotomy specialists keep the shelves stocked, track inventory, and place orders for gloves, needles, collection tubes, and more when necessary.
Documentation
Records related to blood collection support the continuity of care. Documentation is also used for billing. Medical assistant programs include courses in billing and coding procedures that help phlebotomy specialists accurately code insurance forms.
Professional Collaboration
Phlebotomy specialists work with other healthcare professionals as part of a team to deliver the highest quality care. You’ll collaborate with doctors, nurses, and laboratory technicians to ensure the safe and proper handling of blood samples.
Patient Engagement
Medical procedures are patient-centered, meaning the individual’s needs are the top priority. Phlebotomy specialists engage with the public, interacting with patients to explain the blood collection process, answer questions, and offer post-procedure care instructions.
What Does an EKG Technician Do?
EKG technicians perform electrocardiograms, tracings of the electrical impulses powering the heart. In this role, you’ll help doctors diagnose heart attacks, early coronary disease, and congenital abnormalities.
The work includes:
Patient Preparation
EKG technicians prepare patients for EKG procedures, from portable Holter monitoring to stress tests. This involves attaching electrode pads and leads to the patient’s chest and limbs. You’ll guide patients through the preparation process, including changing clothes, removing metal jewelry, and shaving hair over the required areas.
Proper positioning is also critical for the patient’s comfort and cooperation. People with heart failure, for example, may have difficulty breathing when lying flat. As the expert, you’ll work with patients of all ages to ensure a comfortable and productive experience.
Performing EKGs
EKG machines produce a waveform, a visual representation of a heartbeat. Technicians are responsible for the calibration, maintenance, and use of this equipment. You’ll monitor recordings in real-time, taking measures to ensure accuracy while troubleshooting issues with both equipment and testing procedures.
Recordkeeping and Reporting
Each EKG serves as a baseline for the next. Technicians record the pertinent data, including waveform patterns and heart rate, while alerting providers to anomalies. You won’t interpret EKGs, but you’ll play an essential part in patient care by reporting results promptly and flagging apparent abnormalities.
Infection Control
Healthcare settings may harbor dangerous pathogens that can make people sick. Infection control is critical to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases among fragile patients. EKG technicians are responsible for maintaining a healthy environment through proper waste disposal and sanitation measures; topics explored in-depth in a vocational school program.
Patient Education
EKGs can be routine tests, but for patients with heart disease, any procedure may provoke anxiety. They’ll want to know when to expect the testing results and who to contact if they experience symptoms. You’ll address their concerns and provide clear instructions for follow-up.
Final Thoughts
Education is an investment, so the more you can do with a diploma, the better. The potential for horizontal career growth as a certified medical assistant offers the freedom to explore diverse roles in a dynamic and growing industry. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
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Want to Learn More?
The Medical Assistant Training Program at CyberTex Institute of Technology takes excellent care of you by providing hands-on training, practical experience, and the support it takes to get started in a medical assisting career without spending years in school. You will learn clinical and administrative skills and prepare to work in physician’s offices, hospitals, and other medical facilities.
Contact us today to learn more about our Austin and Killeen campuses.