There are jobs that are interesting from day one because the work is varied, requires independent action and the prospects are right.

Medical Assistant, or MA for short, is one such profession. It has long since had nothing to do with the “surgeries” of the 1950s. Even the term “doctor’s assistant” no longer applies to the work in modern practice. The spectrum has become much more complex than “just” helping the doctor.

Since August 2006, the doctor’s assistant has therefore been called “Medical Assistant”. A fitting name for a profession that

  • in-depth medical knowledge,
  • organizational talent and
  • requires sensitive handling of people.

The job leaves room for your own ideas and has what it takes to become more than just a job. The profession is correspondingly popular with young women. Around 15,000 start an apprenticeship every year.

Requirements

School leavers with qualified school leaving certificates from technical colleges and secondary schools, but also high school graduates (general higher education entrance qualification) have a good chance of finding an apprenticeship as an MA.

Above all, the future MA must

  • be interested in medicine
  • like to deal with people
  • be a team player,
  • have a sense of responsibility,
  • be able to work properly and carefully,
  • be resilient
  • be able to maintain secrecy and
  • enjoy learning.

Tasks

Medical assistants are the interface between doctor and patient, technology and people.

Integrated into a team, they manage the operation of the practice. Behind this buzzword is a whole bundle of jobs, half of which are in the medical area and the other half in the administrative area.

Medicine

Medical assistants receive the patients and take care of them before, during, and after the treatment.

This includes, for example:

  • issue prescriptions
  • explain medical prescription or recommendation
  • remind of early detection measures
  • motivate to vaccinate
  • draw attention to avoidable causes of illness and educate about a healthy lifestyle
  • assist in doctor’s treatments, including minor surgical interventions
  • write electrocardiograms independently
  • check lung function
  • administer injections
  • create associations
  • draw and examine blood
  • collect stool and urine samples
  • provide first aid in an emergency
  • cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of instruments and devices
  • administration

Medical assistants organize the course of the practice and take care of all office and administrative work, including billing.

This includes, for example:

  • prepare treatment rooms
  • edit post
  • correspondence with patients and authorities
  • schedule appointments and home visits
  • write doctor’s letters and referrals
  • order material
  • prepare billing with the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians
  • participation in quality management

In all the tasks, the joy of dealing with people is always the focus.

Dealing with people, understanding them in all their needs, and helping them – that’s what the competent profession of medical assistant offers.

Advisory

More and more practices are now focusing on service and are offering their patients additional services that go beyond pure medical care. An area for which MAs are largely responsible and which thrives on attention and commitment. Sometimes small gestures are enough to show a patient that you care about them – for example if you offer a glass of water or a cup of coffee when you have to wait a long time.

It is also conceivable to set up a recall system that reminds patients of vaccination appointments, preventive medical check-ups, the control of laboratory values, and similar and invites them to patient training courses and lectures in the practice. In-practice training courses, for example on diabetes, high blood pressure, healthy nutrition, weight loss, exercise, or smoking cessation, are also popular offers that patients appreciate – and especially take advantage of when they are addressed personally.

Education

The training to become a medical assistant usually lasts three years and takes place in the dual system. This means that it takes place in practices or other medical facilities as well as at the vocational college. An intermediate examination is taken in the second year of training. Of course, learning to be an MA has its own complications, and getting help online nursing papers is often the tactic that learners employ during their education.

Which of the more than 30 medical specialties comes into question depends on personal preference: If you like children, the pediatrician is the right place for you. Anyone interested in allergies should apply to a dermatologist, and those who prefer dealing with a variety of people will probably feel comfortable in general practice.

Career Prospects

Medical assistants can continue their education via specialized training. Various advanced training courses offered by the medical associations offer qualifications in the following medical areas, for example:

  • oncology (cancer medicine),
  • outpatient surgery,
  • gastroenterological endoscopy,
  • pneumology (lung medicine),
  • dialysis (blood purification for kidney patients),
  • outpatient surgery in ophthalmology,
  • radiation protection
  • occupational / company medicine.

Additionally, there is the option of advanced training to become a specialist in outpatient medical care:

  • taking on a managerial position in the doctor’s office and manages
  • the organization of the practice process,
  • management coordination and
  • the guidance of the staff.

The topics of health advice, hygiene, and occupational safety also fall within the area.

The further training consists of a compulsory part in which administration and practice management are part of the curriculum with at least 280 hours. In addition, a MA must specialize in one or more medical fields totaling 120 hours. The training is either full-time or part-time and lasts about two years.

Medical assistants are needed everywhere, and this job will not be going away any time soon. If you struggle with choosing your future employment, then becoming a MA might be the way for you as it is the job of the now and the future.