Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice. Here are a few of the duties:
Take and record patient history and personal information
Measure vital signs
Help the physician with patient examinations
Give patients injections as directed by the physician
Schedule patient appointments
Prepare blood for laboratory tests
Must be able to keep that information confidential and discuss it only with other
medical personnel who are involved in treating the patient.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 29 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. The growth of the aging baby-boom population will continue to spur demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As their practices expand, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, allowing the physicians to see more patients.
