We have criticized, reported and warned about misleading advertisements and fake schools targeting potential medical assistant students seeking online courses on our website for years. Now, Donald Balasa of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) legal department is also raising awareness among prospective medical assistant students with a public note of caution.

Mr. Balasa points out that several AAMA members have informed him of misleading advertising fliers from St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants, a self-study online program. the following language is used in their advertisings: “Medical Assistant Program Online. Medical Assistant Home Study Program. Nationally Accredited and Certified Program. 24/7 Convenient Online Classes. St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants now offers a Nationally Accredited and Certified Medical Assistant Program completely online. Yes, Complete This Program in as little as 6-8 weeks.” You can read their article titled Misleading Advertisements on their Eye On The Law blog.

Similar warnings about such schools that may not deliver what you expect, including St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants have been on our own websites and medical assistant blogs since 2005. We also filed a rip off report against St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants on the Rip Off Report website for taking content from our Medical Assistant Net website without our permission and publishing it on their own site.

Mr. Balasa states that approximately three years ago the AAMA also reported St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and promises that they will continue to report medical assisting diploma mills to the appropriate governmental authorities.

St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants also has also received several negative ratings with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) from students who feel they were misled, or that they did not receive what they paid for. When it comes to vocational training, especially online, awareness is the key to successes! If an online post-secondary training program, non-traditional university, or so-called virtual college attended is not legit students may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Medical assistants are unlicensed employees in the healthcare system, and local and state laws require that a supervising physician, surgeon, or podiatrist must be present whenever clinical tasks, especially direct patient care procedures, are performed.

Employers, often doctors, who are willing to train their medical assistant directly on the job usually expect at least some prior related work experience in a professional office setting, but what if the medical assistant will be working on the clinical floors administering direct patient care as part of the daily routine? 

We know that often there is confusion, because we receive many emails and forum post with questions about specific clinical duties. These questions almost always revolve  around whether a medical assistant is allowed to do a certain tasks, such as:

1. phlebotomy
2. X-rays
3. Holter Monitor and ECG/EKG
4. physical therapy
5. start IV lines
6. transcutaneous nerve stimulation
7. hot and cold pack treatments
8. nebulizer treatments

Despite of the continued absence of specific legislation and licensure requirement for medical assistants in many US states we caution each and everyone that authorized clinical procedures for medical assistants can change from state to state, and that there is NO universal answer.

There still are certain laws that regulate the medical assistant’s duties, and spell out what a medical assistant can and cannot do, especially in a clinical setting, for example, some US states mandate limited licenses, or recognized certifications in certain medical technical procedures, such as phlebotomy, IV therapy, and exposing patients to x-rays, or certain therapeutic modalities.

This in turn, also strongly influences what should, and can be taught. If you are planning to pursue a medical assistant career, or are in charge of training a new medical assistant, but are unsure whether there are certain limits, or restrictions, the best source of information regarding the medical assistant’s scope of practice is your state’s Medical Board/Board of Medical Examiners, State Nursing Board, Department of Health, and professional membership organizations for medical assistants, such as the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), or American Medical Technologists (AMT) legal department.

When I enter the search term medical assistant into any search engine query box, I essentially mean “what is a medical assistant”, not medical assistant jobs, medical assistant training, or one page that gives me a general blah-blah-blah rewritten from authority sites. At this moment, the 1st page results for “medical assistant” is not good, and I am sad to see Google has strongly affected the rankings of Medcialassistant.net, which used to be the top ranking, most active site for aspiring and seasoned medical assistants on the Web.

Over the years we, here at MedicalAssistant.net, the leading website for medical assistants have received many UNSOLICITED emails from happy users, who spontaneously send us comments of appreciation, such as this one from 05.01.2012:

“I just wanted to tell you I found your site. www.medicalassistant.net provides clear information that I find helpful.”

Christi S….., RN
Nursing Department Manager
Gr…. Pa…. Clinic, LLP
495 SW Ramsey Ave.
Grants Pass, OR 97527
csiedlecki@………..com

After the so called Panda and the latest Penguin algorithm changes at Google, their search results are a real mess, and I mean truly. For example, when I search for a simple query, such as “medical assistant”, I do not mean medical assistant job, medical assistant school, medical assistant training, or a one page blah-blah page written off other authority sites so they can get users to click on their over-optimized ads. Authority sites, that define the search term, and offer original informational content for the said key word are virtually gone, even the Bureau of Labor (BLS) page for “medical assistant”, and that is sad. Users who type medical assistant are usually looking for a definition.

I have already changed by default search engine to BING as its results are much better. I also like DuckDuckGo. Google’s layout is way too messy for me – cluttered up by dozens of ads top and right, shopping results, images, then predictably all the big name stores, plus eBay and Wiki… Come to think of it, it’s not just the layout, the results are a mess and do not feature sites that deliver usable content for the user.

MyAPMBA Networking to Success

We are pleased to announce that the APMBA has officially opened and we are now accepting memberships. As an appreciation to Michelle Rimmer CHI, all former PMBA members (active as of 12/31/2011) we are offering ½ off the Platinum and Gold memberships until 05/31/2012. 

• Platinum Membership: $199.00 covers 1 year membership benefits including the CMBA and CMBA-D exam. 
• Gold Membership: $159.00 covers 1 year membership benefits includes the CMBA exam
• Silver Membership: $99.00 membership only does not cover exam (not eligible for ½ off discount)
• CMBA-Certified Medical Billing Administrator
• CMBA (D) – Certified Medical Billing Administrator (DME)

*While the promotion is going on we will not offer the exam until 06/01/2012*

Membership includes: monthly newsletter, access to the APMBA forum, referral program, discounted billing guides, learning center and much more to come. *All members are listed on the MyAPMBA – Association of Professional Medical Billers & Administrators website with a link to their website if applicable.

MyAPMBA

Association of Professional Medical Billers & Administrators, was created to promote unity and networking among healthcare professionals. The APMBA’s goal is to network with Medical Billers, Front Desk Administrators, CMA’s, etc who seek to communicate, educate, and grow with others in this industry. We are offering certification (geared to the experienced biller) but working towards eventually having an online program for hands on experience for those who want to learn medical biling.

We are offering assistance in learning how to start your own medical billing business, and have also partnered with Certmedassistant.com for MyAPMBA members interested in becoming a certified medical assistant.

Please feel free to email or call me with any questions or concerns:

Charlene Hargrove
Myapmba4u@gmail.com
919-482-5940 (Cell)

Let’s face it,  with today’s uncertain economy, the unemployment rate remaining high, college tuition steadily increasing, college loan interest payments higher than ever, and immediate employment for college graduates not what it used to be, both parents and young adults are seriously considering skipping the four year college for now. Parents are  encouraging their kids to consider attending a post-secondary, or vocational training program to earn a career diploma from a private or public school.  The good news is that there are many opportunities available for bright young adults who are willing to learn and apply themselves. A few opportunities available are:

• Firefighter
• Automotive Service Technician
• Accounting Clerk
• Carpenter
• Customer Service Representative
• Electrician
• Police and Law Enforcement
• Web Design and Desktop Publishing
• Fitness Trainer and more.

All of these are great careers, however the career field that offers the most opportunity for employment and for advancement is of the healthcare industry.

In particularly the career with the most promise is that of Medical Assisting. A medical assistant performs administrative and clinical tasks in doctor’s offices, ambulatory clinics connected to regional hospitals, emergency and walk-in clinics, and sometimes pharmacies. Some medical assistants can be trained right on the job, but most are opting to complete a one or two year formal training program.  Depending on the state you live in, a medical assistant can earn as much as $30,136 a year, or even more.

Another great aspect of becoming a medical assistant is that it offers opportunity for advancement into other healthcare fields like:

Medical Laboratory Technicians or Medical Technologists;performs laboratory work to identify, diagnose, and treat diseases. They use laboratory equipment, computers to perform laboratory procedures. They may collect blood and prepare culture specimens and can earn as much as $40,000.

Medical Library Technicians; collects and organize medical information and help practitioners find the information they need for patient care, education, research, and administration.  Most of the information is now stored in electronic databases and information systems. They can earn from $25,000 to $35, 000 per year or up to $55,000 for Librarians.

Medical Records Specialist; obtains, post, and analyze medical, workload, finance, and insurance data.  They ensure that this information is properly recorded into medical records so practitioners can plan and evaluate health care provided to patients. They can earn $25,000 to $33,000 (Medical Records Administrator can earn as much as $40,000). 

The list of job opportunities for a medical assistant to advance in other fields goes on and on, such as Ultra-Sound Technician, Nuclear Medicine Tech, Patient Representative, Radiation Therapy Technologist, or Medical Appliance Technician, who helps patients learn to use medical devices prescribed by podiatrists or prosthetists, etc to name just a few. We could go on to list at least another 30 different job opportunities in relatted fields, but the main point we are driving home here is that becoming a medical assistant, especially in a large group practice, or HMO can actually put a young person in the right place at the right time for advancement; where opportunity is always knocking.

THE FOLLOWING RULES & ATTRIBUTIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN ALL PUBLISHED COPIES: 
Author grants permission to copy and post this article on other blogs, websites, or social sites as long as proper authorship references and credits are given. All links in the original text to websites must remain in tact and must be included along with proper authorship references as posted — you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Author Name: Danni R.
Company: Advanced Medical Assistant Custom Web Design, LLC
Website: www.amacustomwebdesign.com
Permissions: Creative Commons License Attribution No Derivatives

 

This article is based on a work at www.whatisamedicalassistant.com by Advanced Medical Assistant Custom Web Design, LLC, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at amacustomwebdesign.com/contact.html

Author:

Danni R., Owner/Founder Advanced Medical Assistant Custom Web Design, LLC

Backing The Medical Office Team

Most medical offices consist of a team of allied health and medical professionals, non-licensed assistive staff and skilled workers. The team may consist of doctors, licensed clinicians, senior care specialists, nurses, physician assistants, lab technicians, phlebotomists, CT Scan technologist, ultra-sound tech, etc… often all under one roof in a lager group practice, HMO, or comprehensive medical care establishment. All are very important members of a medical team, but the medical assistant can only be considered the backbone of the entire team.  All of the professionals mentioned above rely heavily on the medical assistant in order to do their jobs more efficiently.  Some may consider MAs as the cornerstone, or foundation of the office.  The entire process of receiving medical care starts with the medical assistant (MA).

Important Contributions of the Medical Assistant (MA)

The first step is taking or scheduling the appointment. This task is usually handled by the MA.  They don’t just pencil in a time on the doctor’s schedule, a lot of this is done via computer entry and data processing systems. A medical assistant collects vital information and patient demographics, including healthcare and medical insurance, the patient’s reason for the visit, or complaint of injury, quickly assesses if the illness, or injury should be immediately addressed by the doctor or nurse, or should be escalated to emergency services requiring a 9-1-1 call.

First In Line at the Point-Of-Service Front and Back

Once the patient enters into the medical center, the first one at the Point-of-Service is the medical assistant, also know as the medical office receptionist. After the patient has been registered at the front desk, he or she is taken in by a medical assistant from the back, to read and record vital signs,  and then escort the patient to the doctor’s office, or care specialist, each of which are briefly interviewed by the MA prior to seeing the patient.

Heroes Are Defined by the Role They Play – Not By Medals

The duties of an MA are extensive and he or she must be able to be swift and multitask. Some of these task include but not limited to; sorting mail, filing, updating patient charts, electronic medical data records (EMR), handling doctor and medical specialist referrals, disposal of bio-hazards, replacing and emptying prescription pads, etc…, because of the hard work of the  MA, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals have more time to evaluate and treat more patients, more efficient and effectively.

So MA’s be proud to know, like the backbone in your body, or the linebacker of the football team, it is you who holds up the medical center, or office.  You most likely won’t get a commendation medal, raise, promotion, or not even a pat on the back, but what does in matter? Pride is a personal experience anyway, so STAND TALL. It often is the unsung hero that makes a world of a difference to people, and you, in your role as a medical assistant, are one of them.

THE FOLLOWING RULES & ATTRIBUTIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN ALL PUBLISHED COPIES: 
Author grants permission to copy and post this article on other blogs, websites, or social sites as long as proper authorship references and credits are given. All links in the original text to websites must remain in tact and must be included along with proper authorship references as posted — you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Author Name: Danni R.
Company: Advanced Medical Assistant Custom Web Design, LLC
Website: www.amacustomwebdesign.com
Permissions: Creative Commons License Attribution No Derivatives

Laws that Govern Medical Assistants in the USA

Many working medical assistants are under the impression that when there are no specific laws and organizations that govern them then there are no liabilities. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is NOT TRUE that Medical Assistants cannot be sued and held legally responsible for their actions!

The Tex Med Website has put it so well where they state: the term “medical assistant” has no real legal significance. Medical assistants (MAs) are not licensed, certified, or registered by any agency of the State of Texas, nor are they recognized under federal Medicare or Medicaid laws as a species of “provider.” There is no reference to medical assistants in the Medical Practice Act, or any other Texas Statute, thus, there is no specific legal regulation of medical assistants in Texas.

The same applies to many other US States, however, it doesn’t mean total absence of laws and regulations for medical assistants. Fact is…

Medical Assistants Can, Have and Will Be Sued If They Cause Harm

It cannot be said often enough: although medical assistants are dependent hires working under the employ and direct supervision of the physician, or supervised by a licensed practitioner, or clinician, it does not exonerate them from direct liability, nor protect them from being sued, should anything that causes injury or losses happen to a patient–and not only injury, but any medical assistant who inadvertently oversteps their bounds and scope of practice, e.g. writes and signs a prescription, instead of the doctor, or carries out a full range of physical therapy modalities, which will constitute practicing medicine without a license, to name just one of many possible scenarios, exposes her/himself to a civil fine of at least $10,000 per violation and almost always other severe charges, penalties and consequences.

Many medical assistants falsely believe that if there are no specific laws that regulate the medical assistant profession where they work then there are no laws to be followed.

Most state laws don’t specify exactly which duties medical assistants can perform, but anything they do that goes above and beyond basic low level tasks which can be delegated, such as taking patient vital signs, can be questioned in court, should a lawsuit ensue. If a medical assistant makes an error, typically the lawsuit will be filed against the doctor under whom the medical assistant works, however, the medical assistant can also be named in the suit. Listen in as Gerry Oginski, an experienced medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury lawyer in and around the New York City vicinity explains.

What does this mean for medical assistants?

It means to always be sure to practice only skills that you have been taught and are clearly within your discipline’s scope of practice. Never act on your own without a doctor physically present in the office when providing any type of direct patient health and medical care procedures. Don’t independently give any kind of medical advice, don’t ever share confidential patient information with other parties unless a valid need to know exists and never venture into territory that can be viewed as “practicing medicine without a license”.

Please Note: The information contained on this page is provided for information purposes only and should not be considered legal advice, nor is it a substitute or interpretation of regulations established by authorities having jurisdiction over practicing doctors, nurses and their medical assistants in your state. Please contact your State Board of Medical Examiners directly for specific advice, official business, or consult with your attorney. We cannot provide this information to you.

Exciting Opportunities in Medical Laboratory Assisting

A Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) is another fast growing and in demand career among allied health and medical professions.  Medical laboratory assistants are in demand in hospitals, major medical centers and specialized healthcare offices. Often, people who advance into this very interesting field already have a strong background in medical assisting, or phlebotomy.

MLAs are responsible for assisting phlebotomy technologists and lab technicians in collecting biological samples, operating technical equipment, data input, sterilizing equipment and tools, and maintaining laboratory cleanliness. The exciting thing about assisting in a medical laboratory is that you get invloved in a wide variety of different medical laboratory sciences, including bacteriology, virology, parasitology, immunology, and mycology and automated processes with potential advancement to Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), or with additional education to department supervisor, laboratory manager, or even laboratory medical director.

Medical Laboratory Requirements

The requirement for most hospitals for MLAs is an associate’s degree in laboratory sciences, or an equivalent certificate. The major focus of the curriculum typically lies on chemistry, math, and biology. In addition to on-campus classroom instruction there also are many online courses available for Medical Lab Assistant, however, employers are looking for those who have hands on lab training or experience. Many community colleges and secondary schools offer laboratory training.

Medical Laboratory Assistant Pay

The pay for a MLA is usually between $15 and $21 per hour.  Of course the pay will vary from state to state and depending on the population and healthcare demand in your area. There are many units, specialties, and sub-specialties in a medical laboratory, ranging from:

• microbiology, which receives almost any clinical specimen, including swabs, feces, urine, blood, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, as well as possible infected tissue
• toxicology, which mainly tests for pharmaceutical and recreational drugs
• immunology, which uses the concept of antigen-antibody interaction as a diagnostic tool, genetics, which mainly performs DNA analysis
• surgical pathology, which examines organs, limbs, tumors, fetuses, and other tissues biopsied in surgery such as breast mastectomys
• hematology, and blood specialty labs where whole blood is analyzed for full blood counts, and blood films as well as many other specialized blood tests

These are just a handful of the many different departments and exciting fields in a medical laboratory. If you are  just graduating from high school, or looking for a career that can open doors to bigger and better places in the healthcare industry, then you might want to consider becoming a Medical Laboratory Assistant.