Medical assistants work in several types of healthcare facilities, including physician’s offices, outpatient clinics, hospitals, specialized medical offices, and ambulatory services. They help with numerous clinical and administrative tasks that help physicians deliver the highest possible quality of patient care. Even though some of the tasks in each facility tend to be similar, there are some differences in working in each type of medical workplace. If you’re looking for a job as a medical assistant (MA), this will help you anticipate what to expect at each type of workplace.
Working in a Physician’s Office or Clinic
Medical assistants in a doctor’s office usually work a similar schedule each week, working with smaller teams. You’ll be responsible for a range of clinical and administrative tasks, such as taking vital signs, updating medical records, assisting with basic exams, giving vaccinations, collecting patient samples, performing EKGs (in cardiology offices), and scheduling follow-up appointments.
Medical assistants in a physician’s office have a wide range of clinical and administrative duties and responsibilities. The teams are usually much smaller than in a hospital. Depending on whether you’re working for a single physician or a physician group, you might have one to five doctors, some front end medical office assistants and/or an office manager, possibly a technician and patient receptionist. You will get to know your coworkers rather well, and potentially also see the same patients over a long period of time.
Most physician’s offices have a workplace environment centered around either a general practice or a specialty branch of medicine. MA’s may do different tasks, depending on the speciality, but there is more opportunity to absorb the workflow of your facility.
In a doctor’s office, medical assistants are the people that make sure that appointments run on time. Medical assistants prep the rooms, intake the patients, take vital signs, and room the patients for examination. This helps the appointments for the day run on time. So, it’s important to have good organizational and time-management skills. In a physician’s group, several doctors may rely on the medical assistants, so multi-tasking is another essential skill.
Because a physician’s office is often a smaller, tight-knit group of people, there are many things in which you might be cross-trained.
The salary and pay in a medical office or clinic will depend largely on the job market in the region. Different parts of the country will have different pay ranges and compensation packages. In specialty medical offices,
The schedule in a physician's office is generally very predictable. Most often, you’ll work business hours on weekdays, possibly a bit on weekends. In most cases, the schedule is stable and you can build the rest of your life around your work schedule.
Pros:
- Better work-life balance than a hospital
- Predictable schedule makes it easier to plan your life
- Opportunity for long-term relationships with co-workers and patients
- Closer sense of kinship and community
- Workdays can be less chaotic than hospitals
Cons:
- Repetitive routines may be boring after a while for some
- Not much room for advancement without changing jobs
- Pay may be a little less than hospitals, depending on the region and job market
- You might do more administrative tasks, like managing and updating medical records
Working as a Medical Assistant in a Hospital
Hospitals run 24 hours a day, and physician’s offices generally run during business hours. Hospitals have larger teams, and different routines to learn, even though some of the clinical work is the same as in a private medical office.
The duties and responsibilities for medical assistants in a hospital can vary, depending on your work assignment. Some of the things you may be asked to do include: taking vital signs, patient triage (in urgent care), rooming patients, updating medical records, checking on overnight patients, contacting medical insurance companies, greeting patients, stocking supplies in exam rooms and patient rooms, administering medicine to patients (in pre-measured doses screened by a physician), removing sutures or staples, changing wound dressings, and drawing blood for diagnostic testing (in most states, or with a phlebotomy certificate).
In a hospital, the workplace environment is generally more chaotic than in a physician’s office or outpatient clinic. Over time, you will be helping with a wide variety of conditions and illnesses. You’ll interact with a larger number of co-workers than in a regular medical office. You might work in a department, or wherever there is a need that week. The teams are bigger, and you may work with nurse practitioners as well as physicians. If you’re quick to learn, adaptable, and resistant to stress, working in a hospital may be a good choice for you.
The salary and compensation in a hospital may be a bit higher than medical offices for a medical assistant. The overall salary will depend on the region and job market in your city.
Working as a medical assistant in a hospital means your schedule may be more unpredictable. You might be expected to work longer hours, nights, weekends and holidays.
Pros:
- Hospitals may pay more than many private practice physicians
- You have opportunities to learn a wide variety of skills
- Medical centers have lots of job opportunities
- You can make more professional connections due to larger teams
Cons:
- Work schedule may be less consistent; you may have to work weekends and holidays
- Fast-paced work many more challenging and stressful than a medical office
- Overtime may be required
- Some hospitals have a salary cap
No matter what healthcare environment you choose to work in, medical assistants are needed, and are a vital part of the medical team.
Take the First Step Towards Becoming a Medical Assistant
If you’re ready to begin your healthcare career, Campus Sacramento has a comprehensive medical assisting training program to help you become a certified medical assistant. In a matter of several months, you’ll receive the training you need to start your career as a medical assistant. We offer flexible class schedules, and much of the classwork can be done online, with some mandatory in-person class dates. For more information on upcoming start dates, financial aid, curriculum, or job placement rate, contact our friendly Admissions team today! We can’t wait to help you begin your new career.