Things You Will Learn In The Medical Assistant Program In Any Trade School

You have been a nurse for a long time now, but it has lost some of its luster for you. Now you are thinking about becoming a medical assistant, but you are not sure what more there is to learn that nursing has not already taught you. You may be surprised to learn that there is a whole lot more to being and becoming an M.A. than the nursing skills you currently have. Here is the short list.

Working in a Clinic

Most M.A.'s work in medical and health clinics as opposed to working in hospitals, although they could easily work just about anywhere. Their degrees are about a half step up from registered nurse, which is why many medical assistants are hired for some of the available nursing jobs you see out there. They perform almost all of the administrative duties in clinics, as well as many of the nursing duties and a few of the doctor's more basic duties as well. Their multi-functional skill set gives them more versatility than that of a nurse, even though you probably already have experience with some administrative responsibilities.

Phlebotomy Training

Although you were probably trained as a nurse to draw vials of blood, you probably did not receive training to draw several pints of blood or taught how to use a blood separation machine. As a medical assistant-in-training, it is common to receive additional training in phlebotomy and the machines related to dialysis and plasma separation and collection. Even if you come to the trade school as a registered nurse, you may still be expected to learn and pass this part of your training as a medical assistant so that you can work in many different clinical capacities.

Specialist Trainings for Increased Job Flexibility

As your medical assistant training continues, you may choose several elective courses in specializations such as optometry or cardiology. These electives certify you and provide you with increased job flexibility. You do not have to specialize or take any specific set of extra courses, but some of them may prove very interesting to you. Those that are interesting and those that show you have an additional, gifted affinity for that field may be good indicators about the direction you should steer your new career in next. As a medical assistant student, you may also have the chance to intern in various specialty offices, which can help you decide what the right office fit is for you.

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