Difference and Training of Medical Assistants and Secretaries

[Plagueis]

These may seem like silly questions, but what exactly does a medical assistant do, and how are they trained? I know that medical assistants help doctors, but I have also heard the people who work in the front office (who make appointments, fill out forms, etc.) referred to as medical assistants, too. I thought they were called medical secretaries or receptionists. Does medical assistant training consist of clinical and clerical tasks? Also, what kind of training or courses does someone need to become a medical receptionist/secretary? I've heard everything from only a high school diploma to a two-year degree. Thanks!

[nursen06]

Medical assistants take vitals, have to know medical terminology, assist the MD with office clinical tasks, filing & form procedures etc. I've never heard of any medical assistant program lasting more than a year. It is a certificate program here.

Hope this answers your question. :)

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

I am not sure, but I doubt the term "medical assistant" is protected by law like the term "nurse". Therefore, people can pretty much call themselves anything they want. In Texas it is unlawful to refer to yourself as a nurse unless you have an active RN/LVN license. To me it is most helpful to learn what a licensed person can do then expect that certified individuals are not allowed to do those things.

[highasthesky]

[color=darkslategray]i had a choice of "ma" or medical office specialist". i chose ma because i wanted to do more directly with people. in my ma program the outline is as follows:

keyboarding 1 & 2- medical terminology 1 & 2- medical office procedures-intro to medical coding & ins-microsoft word1 & 2- immunology-urinalysis-phlebotomy-capillary puncture-pharmacology-vital signs-emergency proc-electrocardiology-

if i had've taken the office specialist route the training outline would've been:

keyboarding 1, 2, 3, and 4-medical transcriptionist 1, 2, 3, &4 - medical terminology 1 & 2 - medical office procedures - intro to medical coding and ins- microsoft word 1 & 2 - medisoft 1 & 2 -

this program also has job placement and externship and they told us that alot of places they had agreements with for externship of students wanted versatile ma's who would be able to run the front office in case needed....

hope this helped some....