As you embark on your medical assistant journey, you might be wondering just how different your life will be once you start your job. With the days of classes and externships behind you, it can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to make that final leap into the medical field. To quell your nerves, Prism Career Institute outlines some lifestyle changes that you can expect once you start living the medical assistant life.
No More All-Nighters
If you once identified as a night owl, then you might grow to be a morning person once you become a medical assistant. Many medical facilities start seeing patients at 8:00 a.m. (with some starting even earlier) and since you play such an essential role in making the day run smoothly, the only way to be on time is to be early. You’ll also likely have a packed schedule of patients, so arriving to work a half-an-hour before your office opens will allow you to get your crucial prep work done ahead of time. In summary, be sure to get to bed and wake up on time since the medical assistant life starts early in the morning.
Living in the Fast Lane
The life of a medical assistant is also fast-paced, meaning that leisure lovers will have to adjust to its demands. In addition to one or more medical assistants, some healthcare offices may also employ unit coordinators and administrative assistants who can help lighten your workload. Other offices, however, will not fill these positions, making you responsible for all of their tasks, too. With patients normally scheduled 15 minutes apart, you could have a lot of running back-and-forth to do. Depending on where you work, you might be responsible for any or all of the following duties:
- Go over a daily schedule with the physician
- Listen to overnight phone messages
- Organize patient charts
- Prepare exam rooms
- Perform preliminary patient interviews, including allergy, medication, health change, and other questioning
- Filling out paperwork
- Assisting physician during procedures
- Filling prescriptions
- Examine specimens
With so many responsibilities, you’ll need to switch back and forth between tasks without missing a beat. So if you already like to live life in the fast lane, then you will be well-suited to the medical assistant life.
Long Workdays
When you’ve got as important a job as a medical assistant, then your workdays can grow long. So if you’re incredibly strict about your exercise or mealtimes, then you may need to add some flexibility to your new lifestyle. At the end of your workday, you will likely be responsible for cleaning and restocking your office’s exam rooms, ensuring that all paperwork and prescriptions are properly filled out, returning phone calls, and any other tasks designated by the physician. Also, if a patient’s exam runs late, you will need to stay at least until their appointment is finished and likely later. But even though living the medical assistant life can be demanding, the reward of knowing that you’ve helped both patients and medical staff alike makes it well worth your while.
Prepare for the Medical Assistant Life with Prism Career Institute
Whether you’re on your way to becoming a medical assistant or considering becoming one, knowing what the medical assistant life is like is half of the battle. When you’re ready, check out the medical assistant program offered at Prism Career Institute. If you’re wondering whether career training is right for you, take their free quiz to find out. With locations in Cherry Hill and West Atlantic City, New Jersey, there’s a convenient educational option waiting for you.