If you have thought about pursuing a career as a medical assistant, you are probably wondering what skills are needed for the job. Medical assistantships are a great way to break into the medical field, but this career isn’t for everybody.
As an aspiring physician, Usher Khan has been pursuing a medical assistantship at a dermatology practice as well as an orthopedic surgery practice. Today he shares the top 6 skills you need to succeed in this career.
- You must enjoy interacting with people. As a medical assistant, you will be working directly with patients – and odds are, they are going to be stressed out just by being at the doctor’s office.
- Communication skills. Not only will you be working with patients, but with the doctors and nurses as well. Being able to follow their instructions is critical in this role.
- Organizational skills are a must for medical assistants in order to do all of the non-clinical tasks of the job such as scheduling.
- Attention to detail is an important part of this role. Often you will be prepping patients for the doctor, obtaining consent forms, and taking vital signs.
- In terms of clinical skills, you need to know how to take vital signs, administer injections, know CPR and EKG, and be familiar with medical terminology.
- For administrative skills, you will need to have computer literacy, be able to schedule and make appointments, have great phone etiquette, and be able to multitask.
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