When you’re first starting your career as a medical assistant, your focus is on making a good impression and a valuable part of the medical team. Because knowledge comes with hands-on experience, there are things you need to know, and mistakes to avoid, and that’s what this guide is for. Avoid these mistakes when you start gaining work experience, and you’ll find it easier to build trust and advance in your medical assisting career.
Don’t Cover Up When You Make a Mistake
When you make a mistake, your first instinct might be to solve the problem yourself and not bother your physician. DON’T do this. If you make a big mistake, the first thing you should do is tell your supervising doctor. Let them know immediately, so they are aware, and they can advise you how to proceed.
We get it, you’re afraid of looking like you’re in over your head, but the RIGHT thing to do is to address the situation without taking it personally. Doctors know that mistakes can happen to anyone, especially when you’re first starting out. But trust is built and earned when you make sure to communicate right away and show your first responsibility is to your patient and not your ego.
Don’t Be Afraid of Asking Questions
Picture this: the supervising physician giving you instructions, you’re nodding like you understand perfectly. In truth, you’re still not clear on what they want, but you’re afraid to ask for clarification because it’s busy and you don’t want to seem like you don’t know what you’re doing.
DON’T be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions shows that you want to do a thorough and professional job, you just need more details. It’s okay to be inquisitive and ask for further information. The most important thing is doing things RIGHT and taking care of the patients correctly. The physicians aren’t going to think less of you if you ask questions. Your patients can also tell when you aren’t sure about what you’re doing, and they will lose confidence in you.
Don’t Forget to Take Notes
There’s a lot of information you need to absorb when you begin working full-time in a medical office. You might think you can remember it all without writing it down, but you won’t. Most seasoned medical assistants will tell you that they carry around a small notepad they can put in their pocket; it makes it easy to take notes. If there’s anything you want to write down, your notepad is right there. This will help you in the long run with better memory retention of the notes you’re taking each day at work.
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Don’t Rush Updating Medical Records
It’s important to keep accurate records of a patient visit, including allergies, medication changes, vital signs, reason for their visit, and any prescriptions the physician writes for them. Make sure you double check all electronic health records for accurate entries, as these will be part of their medical history, and also used for documentation in medical coding.
Don’t Succumb to Stress During Busy Days
Inevitably, there will be days when the medical office is understaffed, or there are situations out of your control. What’s important is that you keep a cool, calm demeanor and deal with the situation(s) in an orderly fashion. Medical assistants are responsible for keeping patient appointments running smoothly, and your organizational and problem solving skills will eventually be put to the test. But don’t worry, like so many medical assistants before, you will be able to survive this day and bring order to chaos. It’s vital that patients see you as being in control of the situation, and getting stressed out due to someone missing a shift will only stress them out.
Don’t Stop Learning More About the Medical Field
Your learning doesn’t end when you begin working as a medical assistant. There’s always more to learn about medicine, about processes in the medical office, and it helps everyone out when you stay curious and keep learning. Your supervising physicians will appreciate it when you show interest in learning more about the medical field. It helps them do their job better the more you know. It’s okay to ask questions about procedures or processes or anything in the medical field. There’s always more to learn.
Become a Medical Assistant in Less Than Ten Months at Campus Sacramento
If you’ve been thinking about starting a new career as a medical assistant, now is the perfect time. Campus Sacramento has a Medical Assisting program to help you earn your certification. We offer flexible day and night programs to help fit your busy schedule. If you would like more information on start dates, our externship program, or financial aid, contact our friendly Admissions team or call 888-675-2460.