The most in demand job position in 2021 might be oncology assistant [1], in which the assistant have an important role in assisting patients with cancer.
In this article we will discusses the role, job profile, employment prospects and duties of a clinical medical assistant.
Who Is A Clinical Medical Assistant?
A Clinical Medical Assistant is a medical assistant who performs various duties that are different from those that are performed by a regular medical assistant.
The State has to permit clinical medical assistants to perform these duties as qualified medics usually do them. Given the number of different duties that nurses and doctors have to perform, over time the healthcare industry has come to depend more and more on medical assistants to wield clinical responsibilities as well.
A clinical medical assistant can perform the following tasks at a health establishment:
- Check and record patient’s blood pressure, height, weight, pulse and heart rate.
- Explain treatments to patients, and prep them for medical procedures.
- Administer drugs to patients, and collect pathological specimens such as blood and urine
- Dispose contaminated supplies at the health establishment
- Sterilize medical instruments before and after use
- Instruct patients on matters of prescriptions and diets.
- Authorize patient’s drug refills
- Take X-Rays and ECGs, remove sutures, and change medical dressings.
A well-trained and skilled clinical medical assistant who also has the right bedside manner is an invaluable asset to any healthcare establishment.
How Does A Clinical Medical Assistant Differ From Medical Assistant?
A clinical medical assistant’s services are mostly used in the back office, where direct assistance with patients is required. A regular medical assistant mostly handles administrative duties and some clinical duties.
However, a clinical medical assistant would be handling only clinical work and in a large health establishment, would find him or her assigned to a certain medical specialization group, such as ophthalmology or dentistry. Several clinical medical assistants become specialized in specific areas of medical assisting, which gives an extra edge to their profiles.
What Are Specialized Clinical Medical Assistants?
Clinical medical assistants who specialize in specific areas of medicine such as ophthalmology, podiatry and dentistry are known as specialized clinical medical assistants. Such specialized medical assistants are usually employed in large hospital or private specialization clinics.
For example, a clinical medical assistant who specializes in assisting an ophthalmologist becomes an ophthalmic medical assistant.
Such a person can assist ophthalmologists to provide eye care and help conduct diagnostic procedures, check patient’s vision and record details, and test the function of eye muscles. They can also apply eye dressings and demonstrate proper eye care to patients, including how to care for, apply and remove contact lenses.
If the State law allows it, the ophthalmic clinical medical assistant may also administer eye medications under supervision.
Where Does a Clinical Medical Assistant Work?
Mostly a clinical medical assistant will work in small health practices, hospitals and hospital laboratories. Specialized clinical medical assistants will work in private practices such as a podiatry, dentistry, an optometric clinic and on.
In a larger establishment such as a hospital, a clinical medical assistant might be working either in a specific medical department or in the outpatient department, handling patients.
If a clinical medical assistant can also handle administrative tasks, his or her job value goes up. A multi-tasking clinical medical assistant who can make themselves useful in several specialized area as well as in outpatient departments are definitely invaluable in hospital scenarios.
To Whom Does A Clinical Medical Assistant Report?
If the clinical medical assistant works in a specialized capacity, then the reporting will be to the head of the specialization department in the case of a large hospital, or the specialization practitioner in the case of a small clinic.
If the clinical medical assistant works both as administrative and clinical medical assistant perhaps in the outpatient department or the emergency department, then the immediate doctor or supervisor will be the reporting head.
Owing to the fact that even certified clinical medical assistants must perform delicate procedures under supervision, there’s always a superior around when a clinical medical assistant works with patients. Every State has its own laws on the duties that can be assigned to a clinical medical assistant.
This is because if a treatment goes wrong, a patient can sue the hospital or clinic that administered the treatment. If the treatment was administered by a clinical medical assistant while not under supervision, the health establishment becomes culpable.
Employment Prospects For Clinical Assistants
Clinical medical assistants help to drive job growth in an increasing number of practices, healthcare facilities and clinics that require a high level of support personnel, particularly medical assistants who can manage both administrative and clinical tasks. That apart, medical assistants work for the most part in primary care, which is a growing sector of the healthcare industry.
The job prospects are excellent for all kinds of medical assistants. Specifically, clinical medical assistants find that there’s a great demand for their particular skills, as a clinical medical assistant brings down the workload of the medical staff.
A large number of jobs are targeted towards clinical medical assistants. Given the fact that medical assistants take up training programs to work as nurses or as specialized medical assistants, there is a demand for more certified clinical medical assistants. Employers prefer to hire clinical medical assistants who come with certification.
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
A Certified Clinical Medical Assistant is a healthcare practitioner who has multiple skills, and is competent at clinical and laboratory procedures, as well as several administrative duties. A certified clinical medical assistant is an unlicensed healthcare practitioner; this person is not to be confused with a doctor or a nurse, while some of the responsibilities belonging to both roles are handed to this person.
The Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) certification is awarded by the National Health Career Association (NHA). The NHA is approved nationally and is a highly recognized certification organization around the world. The certification can be obtained by taking up the certification examination that is conducted by the NHA several times a year, on a payable basis.
Having a CCMA certification declares that the person is competent and can perform a variety of laboratory and clinical procedures. Obtaining the nationally certified credentials will put a candidate into a growing group of very distinguished healthcare professionals, who work in healthcare related businesses, government agencies, and worldwide educational communities.
How To Obtain CCMA Certification?
One doesn’t have to be a medical assistant in order to qualify for the CCMA certification. Any person who has undergone the 4-year graduate course or a 2-year medical assistant associate training can sit for the certifying exam.
The NHA prescribes the curriculum to the community or vocational college where a person can study to be a clinical medical assistant. The curriculum consists of clinical subjects such as how to assist in laboratory procedures, surgical procedures, and so on, apart from patient care, working on medical applications and administrative tasks.
A clinical medical assistant may or may not be required to perform administrative tasks. However, a clinical medical assistant who has the CCMA certification and is able to perform both clinical and administrative tasks if required definitely has a job edge over a CMA, or a Certified Medical Assistant who is not specially qualified for clinical procedures.
