Making Bright Careerasa Medical Assistant The phrase - medical assistant as well physician assistant look somewhat similar. But the major difference lies in the duties, degree of responsibility and knowledge required for the respective courses are very different. Whether it is a medical assistant or a physician assistant, both work under a doctor. While the duty of a medical assistant is to take the history of the patient and ad vital signs he notices, prepare the blood samples and give appointments, the duties of the physician assistant is bigger and broader, they are qualified enough to prescribe diagnostic test, seek treatment methods and write medicines.
The duties of a Medical Assistant comprise of greeting the patients and scheduling appointments, typing dictated letters, filling and submitting an insurance application, handling emails, keeping a track of the patient's history, updating his medical records and making billing details and updating it from time to time. He also sterilizes the medical instruments, draws blood from patients, performs ECG, and takes x ray and does lab work. While the duties of a physical assistant include maintaining a record of patients' progress, prescribing medicines, reviewing the history of the patient, conduct physical examination of the patients, counsel the patient and his family, complete the insurance work and order and conduct diagnostic tests. In rural areas, it has been seen that doctors make their visit only for a day or two, the rest of the transaction and principal care is rendered by physician assistants. Usually there is no special training or qualification required for the career of a medical assistant. However, on - job training is given to the newly recruited staff. Some medical assistants go for a specialized course in a particular field such as Dermatology, Oncology, Cardiology, Gynecology and Internal medicine. While for the job of physician assistant, a candidate must have a Master's degree to start his career. Applicants who file for Physician Assistant job need to have a bachelor's degree and work experience with some healthcare organization. Getting the