Medical Assistant Career Training in New York City

Your Role as a Medical Assistant..

2007-10-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

...requires performance of both administrative and clinical duties; therefore helping in maintaining a smooth running and efficient, as well as, professional medical/heath related environment. While your assigned duties may vary, which will depend on the size of the location and the particular needs of the work place, you can expect to be called upon in a supporting role that may require you to fill in as necessary.

For example while working in an administrative need, you might by asked to help out by: greeting patients and answering the phones, maintaining, updating and filing medical records of patients, scheduling appointments, filling out insurance and bookkeeping. As a support person with clinical duties, you may be looking upon to: record patient's vital signs, assist the doctor during an examination, authorize drug refills as directed, sterilize medical instruments and properly dispose of contaminated supplies. While varying laws regarding the role of a medical assistant can vary from state to state, medical assistants are most often viewed as being competent generalists, who are capable of managing administrative and clinical assignments while reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner.

Please call Manhattan Institute at 212-564-1234 or visit us online or in person as our staff is available 7 days a week to help you explore training options to become a medical assistant

As A Medical Assistant...

2007-10-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

...be prepared to work as a member of a team and, while completing your course of study at Manhattan Institute, gain an educational experience that will enable you to be more diverse. The medical assistant training course currently being offered by Manhattan Institute, is actually administered in two parts: Part one consist of a 20 week intensive classroom instruction period (all aspects of patient care complete with hands on demonstrations) – Part two, beginning immediately after classroom instruction, involves a 10 week, supervised externship, in a professional setting/healthcare facility where the student puts into practice what was taught during the 20 week instruction phase. Once both parts have been successfully completed, the graduating student will four diplomas from Manhattan Institute:

With such intense instruction, supervised externship, and four distinct and recognized skills sets upon course completion/graduation, choosing Manhattan Institute as the place to start training for your new career as a medical assistant is the opportunity to get going in the right direction. For more information, please call 212-564-1234

While Training as a Medical Assistant, you can expect...

2007-08-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

...to participate in a comprehensive 6 month educational program and a 3 month externship once your formal training is complete.

Training at Manhattan Institute as a Medical Assistant requires completion of a six month course that is a fulltime, 5 day a week class. Once the classroom instruction is complete, the student will then meet on of our counselors to discuss externship placement.

As both clinical and administrative duties are studied when training to become a successfully employed medical assistant, your course of study will include:

Clinical duties may include, but are not limited to:

Apply principles of aseptic technique and infection control - keeping exam rooms clean by making sure products used during an exam are completed removed and replaced before another patient enters that room - ie., dressing gowns, table covers, gloves, etc.

Prepare and assist with examinations, procedures, and treatments - asking questions of the patients, listening to any concerns or fears, promptly communicating all pertinent concerns to medical professional or supervisory staff.

Coordinate patient care information with other health care providers - make sure patient understands that you are there to help not only the medical professional but also you are concerned that they records and patient reflect current and correct information at all times.

Administrative responsibilities might include some or all of the following:

Basic clerical duties - typing, filing, schedule and appointment coordination, inpatient/out patient procedures and admissions, utilize secretarial/receptionist skills, prioritize and organize written and verbal communications and information

Perform medical transcription - conversion of voice-recorded/dictated reports as told by the physician or other medical professional, into text.

Obtain reimbursement through accurate claims (insurance) submission
Monitor and follow-up on third-party (insurance) reimbursement - make sure insurance claims are submitted accurately, follow-up on reimbursements, document and maintain accounting and/or banking records, assist with procedural and diagnostic coding.

Available 7 days a week, either in person or by calling 212-564-1234, the friendly staff at Manhattan Institute is there to make sure you are satisfied with your course of study, and are adjusting to the curriculum.

Find Work as a Medical Office Assistant

2007-07-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Your skills as a medical assistant may enable you to find gainful employment as a an office assistant in a medical office. The duties assigned to this type of medical assistant include, but are not limited to: working under the direct supervision of both the office manager and the assigned medical professionals, maintenance of clinical files and medical records, answering phones, performing patient screenings within the medical clinic and in accordance with clinical protocols, and monitoring office and clinical supplies.

As career opportunities for the skillfully trained medical assistant continue to broaden, one might seek work as a medical office assistant in community outreach departments of larger medical facilities or hospitals, or more specialized medical practices such as dentists, internists, or podiatrists.

Once your Manhattan Institute training as a medical assistant is complete, you will have the skills to seek a rewarding career, while helping people. The health care industry is one that has consistency experienced growth and opportunities for knowledgable and trained individuals can be limitless. For more information on additional careeroptions for the medical assistant, please contact Manhattan Institute @ 212-564-1234

Be a GREAT Medical Assistant

2007-06-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

1) Be a Good Employee
Being a good employee means being a good person. You should be patient, attentive, courteous and reliable. Good companies know that those values cannot be learned in any curriculum, or on the job training. They must be within you before you work for them and not only are they the most valued characteristics to find in an employee, they are also the most rare.

2) Pay Attention and Follow Instructions
Always complete assigned tasks as asked or told. If you do not understand something, or have additional questions, seek answers from either supervisors or co-workers.

3) Get To Work On Time
If you are going to be late, call and let your supervisor know. If you need to miss work, try to make supervisor aware ahead of time or be sure to call if you are going top be out sick.

4) Be Eager To Learn
If you are presented with an opportunity to learn something new, take it, you might just be surprised with what you get out of it.

5) Take What You Have Learned and Apply I
One of the most important things is to be able to take what you learned from one task, and be able to do it again, except better and more efficiently and then apply that to another situation.

Enhance Your Career With Additional Training

2007-06-03T16:19:00.001-07:00

As a professionally trained medical assistant, you already have a complete understanding of wound dressing, bandaging, and splinting techniques, treatment of injuries related to temperature such as burns or prolonged exposure to cold, and first aid measures for poisonings, burns, bites, stings, and allergic reactions. While these skills are invaluable to patients, health care facilities, and physicians or supervisory personnel, imagine how much more service you can provide once you have completed your cross training as a nurse technician.

Once your nurse technician training is complete and you are assigned to the supervision of a licensed nurse, you will be responsible for direct patient care and your newly assigned duties will vary within the range contributing to the health, safety, and comfort needs of the patient. Some of the additional responsibility may include: pushing, pulling, lifting, or transferring the patient.

Manhattan Institute offers flexibility in class schedules with day, evening, or weekend classes, prompt email responses, and a staff member available to answer questions 7 days a week. Please click here for additional training currently available at Manhattan Institute.

Taking Care of my Community – Angela C

2007-04-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

I really like where my parents decided to raise my family. Me and my brothers grew up in Harlem and everyday we walked by a senior home that was close to the subway. On warm days some of the seniors would be outside, playing board games or reading books. Me and my brothers would always stop and say hello. I liked to talk to them sometimes because I missed my grandparents, who we only got to see about once a year when we went to the DR. My parents made me feel good about being nice to the seniors because some of them seemed sad, maybe they didn’t get many visitors.

I enjoyed high school very much. My two older brothers were on the baseball team and they were both so good that they got scholarships to different colleges. They both ended up being far away from home and I began to miss them. After finishing my homework, I started to volunteer one day a week at the senior center. I would go there and help ladies with their hair or read stories to them. I liked being close to home because since my brothers were gone, I wanted to stay close to my parents.

I didn’t think college was right for me. I wanted to get a job after graduating high school because I already know what I wanted to do. I wanted to work at the senior home and stay close to mom and dad. Maybe I could do other work or start another career later, but this something I enjoyed and I wanted to find out how I can continue doing it. I made up my mind that this would be a start in life for me and my parents showed me that I could develop my work with seniors into a career. My dad was the one who went online to www.manhattaninstitute.com and he thought I should check it out. The next day I went to the midtown location of Manhattan Institute and met the friendly people who told me about how, after the seven months of training, I could start my new career as a medical assistant. I liked learning about all the skills I would gain and felt good that since I already knew alot of the seniors in the home near me, I would soon get a job that I liked and be trained properly on how to do it as a professional.

I completed my training and got the job I wanted. I worked at the local home for about three years and then decided to stay in the DR during one of my family’s visits. I am now working at a hospital in the country I was born and am so glad I got my initial training at the Manhattan Institute.

The Medical Assistant is Part of the Healthcare Team

2007-03-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today's medical assistant is trained to focus on various procedures performed within the medical office or hospital setting. Most of the assigned duties of the medical assistant are closely supervised by either a physician or a registered nurse and these tasks may include: basic emergency care, first aid, CPR, and assistance with a basic medical examination.

With the guidance and supervision of a health care professional, the medical assistant will recognize and assist the patient when understanding that the patient may be suffering from symptoms of : shock, fainting, stroke, seizures, insulin shock, ketoacidosis and diabetic coma.

Medical assistants are also trained to be knowledgeable of wound dressing, bandaging, and splinting techniques, treatment of injuries related to temperature such as burns or prolonged exposure to cold, and first aid measures for poisonings, burns, bites, stings, and allergic reactions.

It is widely known and commonly accepted that, for a patient, a visit to a medical office or hospital environment can add to stress or anxiety for the individual who would be on the receiving end of a medical diagnosis, new treatment, or additional care. The friendly medical assistant who displays a warm and welcoming attitude and a professional demeanor will also provide additional value to both the patient and therefore be a responsible and complimentary asset to any health care team.

Understanding your role as a medical assistant

2007-02-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

As a multi-competent, health care professional involved with tasks ranging from office administration laboratory assistant, the role of the medical assistant is an integral staff member of any professional and smooth running physician's office. Administrative duties may include: answer telephones, schedule appointments, greet patients, update and file patient charts, order supplies, arrange for hospital admission and laboratory services, handle billing, collections, and bookkeeping. Clinical tasks while varying from state to state, may sometimes involve: taking medical histories and recording vital signs, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination.

Though the role of the medical assistant is a fair amount of patient interaction and is supervised by a physician, it is not to be confused with the responsibilities of a physician's assistant who is capable of examining the patient, diagnosis, and treatment that is directly supervised by a physician.

To find out more about the role of the medical assistant, please click here

The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

2007-01-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

AAMA

The mission of the American Association of Medical Assistants is to enable medical assisting professionals to enhance and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and professionalism required by employers and patients; protect medical assistants' right to practice; and promote effective, efficient health care delivery through optimal use of multiskilled Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs).

AAMA CMA Practice Exams

Take the practice exams to test your current knowledge in the categories of anatomy and physiology and medical terminology.

The AAMA Code of Ethics sets forth principles of ethical and moral conduct in relationship to the medical profession and the particular practice of medical assisting.

Members of AAMA are dedicated to the conscientious pursuit of their profession, and thus desirous to merit the highest regard of the entire medical profession, the respect of the general public which they serve, and hereby pledge themselves to strive always to:

A.
render service with full respect for the dignity of humanity;

B.
respect confidential information obtained through employment unless legally authorized or required by responsible performance of duty to divulge such information;

C.
uphold the honor and high principles of the profession and accept its disciplines;

D.
seek to continually improve the knowledge and skills of medical assistants for the benefit of patients and professional colleagues;

E.
participate in additional service activities aimed toward improving the health and well-being of the community.

Click here to visit the AAMA website and find out more about the professional ethics and creed of the organization.

Nature of the Work of a Medical Assistant

2006-11-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. They should not be confused with physician assistants, who examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the direct supervision of a physician.

The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. In small practices, medical assistants usually are generalists, handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner. Those in large practices tend to specialize in a particular area, under the supervision of department administrators.

Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and bookkeeping.

Clinical duties vary according to State laws and include taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures to patients, preparing patients for examination, and assisting the physician during the examination. Medical assistants collect and prepare laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory tests on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies, and sterilize medical instruments. They instruct patients about medications and special diets, prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician, authorize drug refills as directed, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, draw blood, prepare patients for x rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings.

Medical assistants also may arrange examining room instruments and equipment, purchase and maintain supplies and equipment, and keep waiting and examining rooms neat and clean.

Ophthalmic medical assistants and podiatric medical assistants are examples of specialized assistants who have additional duties. Ophthalmic medical assistants help ophthalmologists provide eye care. They conduct diagnostic tests, measure and record vision, and test eye muscle function. They also show patients how to insert, remove, and care for contact lenses, and they apply eye dressings. Under the direction of the physician, ophthalmic medical assistants may administer eye medications. They also maintain optical and surgical instruments and may assist the ophthalmologist in surgery. Podiatric medical assistants make castings of feet, expose and develop x rays, and assist podiatrists in surgery.

A.	render service with full respect for the dignity of humanity;
B.	respect confidential information obtained through employment unless legally authorized or required by responsible performance of duty to divulge such information;
C.	uphold the honor and high principles of the profession and accept its disciplines;
D.	seek to continually improve the knowledge and skills of medical assistants for the benefit of patients and professional colleagues;
E.	participate in additional service activities aimed toward improving the health and well-being of the community.