Skills and Abilities Necessary for Becoming a Medical Assistant

A medical assistant is someone who works alongside a doctor to help with basic patient care and other duties. Medical assistants can work in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, and more. They perform a variety of duties including scheduling appointments, recording patient information, measuring vital signs, giving injections as needed and permitted, and more.

Becoming a medical assistant could be a great way to get started working in the medical field. Learn more about the necessary skills for becoming a medical assistant as well as how you can learn those skills below.

Necessary Skills

Are you considering becoming a medical assistant? You will need a lot of different skills to succeed in this profession. You will not only need medical skills, but you will also need administrative skills and more. Check out some of the most important and necessary skills for becoming a medical assistant below.

• Interpersonal Skills – As a medical assistant, you will work directly with patients as well as doctors. That means you will need interpersonal skills. You will need to be able to work well and communicate well with others. When it comes to the patients, you will need to be able to communicate with them clearly and build rapport because you will need to explain medical instructions in a way that is easily understandable.
• Adaptability – This is another skill that is essential to being a good medical assistant. Adaptability is important because every day as a medical assistant will be different. You need to be able to adapt to changes so that you can be successful. You also will never know when an emergency situation will pop up, so you will have to be prepared to shift priorities to meet needs.
• Analytical Skills – It will also be essential for you to analyze medical information as a medical assistant. Critical thinking and analytical skills will help you understand patient files, charts, and diagnosis.
• Administrative Skills – You will also need to have administrative skills to work as a medical assistant. These administrative skills will be necessary for a good portion of your job. You will need to schedule patient appointments, complete information on patient records, record medical tests, and more. You also may have to order and organize medical supplies so that there is a proper inventory. As a medical assistant, you may also have to answer insurance questions and resolve problems with insurance billing.
• Medical Knowledge and Skills – As a medical assistant, you will also need some basic medical skills. You won’t be performing any complex procedures, but you will be doing work like taking vital signs and drawing blood. It is important that you have the knowledge and ability to complete basic patient procedures safely and effectively. You will need to know how to give medications, give injections, draw blood, perform CPR, perform EKGs, remove sutures, collect blood samples, collect urine samples, and follow safety procedures while doing so. 
• Problem Solving Skills – You will also need good problem-solving skills to succeed as a medical assistant. There will be problems or issues that arrive, and you will have to use your knowledge and skills to address these problems as they come up.