MEDICAL ASSISTANT

Description

Position Title:                    Medical Assistant
Department:                       Nursing
Supervisor:                        Medical Assistant Supervisor
Status / Hours per week:  Non-Exempt / 40 hours 

Primary Function:

Provide excellent customer service to patients, health center staff and outside agencies. Provide quality support care to patients by working as a multidisciplinary care team member within a specific clinical team and across the health center.

Duties & Responsibilities:

General Clinical Activity:
• Welcome and escort patients from waiting room to examination rooms; coordinate patient flow.
• Perform other point-of-care testing as directed by clinical staff, including obtaining oropharyngeal swabs for throat culture and rapid strep tests, urine dips and pregnancy tests, and finger-sticks for A1C and glucose levels.
• Take and record vital signs and other measurements appropriate to age and visit such as height, weight, head circumference, blood pressure, visual acuity, hearing, etc.as part of triaging the patient.
• Take chief complaint and/or pain scale as necessary.
• Screen for smoking and family planning needs as directed.
• Assist patients in completing pre-visit screening forms and enter results into patient record.
• Assist provider in examination of patients as needed.
• Anticipate provider interpreter needs and provide interpreter services for providers and nurses.
• Administer EKGs, perform non-stress tests, etc, as requested.
• Inform waiting patients of any unexpected delays.
• Administer immunizations to patients.
• Assist with triaging telephone calls as per policy and procedure.
• With direction from clinical staff, send patients for appropriate labs before examination by provider.
• Assist with completing school and other forms for patients.
• Float to various practice areas for medical assistant coverage as needed in PC/OB-GYN, UC and PEDI.
• Participate in clinical care session planning and team huddles.
• Collaborate with nursing on various support tasks and needs including patient outreach for care management activities.

Technical:
• Prepare examination rooms for daily use; clean rooms as required after each patient.
• Perform QC’s (Quality Controls) for point-of-care testing daily/monthly and document appropriately.
• Stock assigned rooms with appropriate supplies and instruments. Inform supervisor when supplies are running low.
• Ensure that multi-dose vials of solutions are dated when opened and disposed of promptly when expired.
• Prepare instruments for sterilization and sterilize instruments as scheduled.
• Perform biologic test on autoclave and document appropriately.
• Inspect and replace sharps containers as needed.
• Adhere to universal precautions guidelines.
• Performs other related duties as required.

COVID-19 Activity:

• Perform nasal swabs on patients/non-patients and employees who require medical testing, who may have symptoms of COVID 19 or require testing to rule-out exposure by following the protocol for community COVID-19 testing.
• Ensure proper labeling and storing of collected samples.
• Follow protocol for personal protective equipment PPE.
• Perform testing follow-up activity.
• Support logistical operations of the testing unit.
• Perform a temperature check and verbal screening of COVID-19 symptoms and exposure risk for all persons entering the building following written protocol.
• Follow protocol for personal protective equipment PPE.
• Clean and disinfect the work areas as directed.
• Sanitize exam equipment in between all screening.

Other:
• Participate in clinical team and departmental meetings.
• Participate in quality improvement activities and trainings.
• Provide emotional support to patient and family as needed.
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times.

Qualifications

Minimum Basic Knowledge:

• Medical Assistant certification at time of hire or within first 6 months of employment.
• CPR certification to be completed within first 6 months of employment.

Experience & Qualifications:
Essential Duties/Skills Required:

• 1 year experience preferred.

• Upon hire MA certification via AAMA, NHA, RMA required, or within 6 months of employment.

• Ability to learn medical assisting tasks as required.

• Bilingual preferred (Cape Verdean Creole or Portuguese, Spanish).

• Excellent interpersonal communication and skills whether in person, via the telephone and/or in writing.

• Superior service attitude; along with being compassionate and kind.

• Comfortable in a practice environment/culture that promotes ongoing change toward process improvement.

• Ability to stand/walk for extended periods of time.

• Ability to work at least 2 evenings a week and rotating weekends required.

• Ability to greet staff, patient and visitors in a pleasant and helpful manner with strong focus on customer service.

• Must be reliable and punctual.

Independent Action:
None

Supervisory Responsibility:
There are no supervisory responsibilities.

Define Access Level to PHI:

Level 4 [Authorized to access full health information. UCHC position and job responsibilities involve the provision of patient care and working as a clinical team member. Staff in this category level, although allowed full access, should only access the necessary information for each respective treatment encounter/circumstance].