Who is a Specialty Medical Assistant?

Specialty Medical Assistants are the backbone of the healthcare industry and play an integral role in the maintenance and care of patients, assisting physicians and staff with their enhanced knowledge and expertise from certification in a particular medical field. From greeting patients at the door at check-in to preparing them for advanced medical procedures, Specialty Medical Assistants coordinate patient care with integrity, efficiency and understanding.

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What does a Specialty Medical Assistant Do?

Medical assistants perform both administrative and clinical duties, meaning they can work in both of the main areas of health care:

• Administrative: These duties include scheduling appointments, helping patients check in and out, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
• Clinical: These duties include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for exams, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.

Medical assistants work under the direction of a physician. They work closely with doctors, ensuring that health care services are delivered efficiently and with individual attention to patients. An entry-level position, the medical assistant is the perfect starting point for many people to enter the healthcare profession.

Specialty Certified Medical Assistants do all of these things and more. Because they are certified in a specialty, they are qualified for regular medical assistant positions as well as medical assistant positions in specialties from cardiology to women's health.

Where does a Specialty Medical Assistant Work?

Specialty Certified Medical Assistants are qualified to work in a variety of settings:

• Doctors' offices (general practice and specialties)
• Offices of other health care practitioners (chiropractors, optometrists, mental health professionals, and physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists)
• Hospitals
• Outpatient care centers

Why should I get my Specialty Medical Assistants - SCMA^® certification?

One of the most important things you can do to jumpstart your career as a medical assistant is get "specialty certified." Getting certified in a specialty allows you to focus on one particular area of health care, which makes you a more valuable team member. You will also be qualified to assist in specific patient care initiatives run by the federal government, such as maintaining electronic health records (EHRs) under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' EHR Incentive Programs.