Professional Perception of Medical Assisting

            The professional audience feels that little attention has been given to what roles the Medical Assistant have in the primary care settings.  Studies were done by professional experts in the Medical Assisting field to better understand the work of MAs.  Their findings showed that MAs are “making a difference” in the workplace and relationships within the workplace.  The study also showed that Medical Assistants improve communications between patients and physicians; they develop their own bonds with patients that provide continuity that extends beyond the patient-clinician relationship.  A Medical Assistant is described as being able to address patient needs, treating patients with respect and acting as a patient advocate. 

            Another great example of what the professional audience thinks is that in the Netherlands, students who want to become medical specialists have to enroll in a training program and may accept a temporary job as a trained medical assistant. The first stage is an extended undergraduate program which must be completed and the student obtains a degree comparable to a Master’s degree.  The official title is a basic doctor. This doctor cannot work as a physician or surgeon, but is allowed to work as a medical assistant.  Working as a medical assistant facilitates the inflow into the second stage to which the student can become a surgeon. Students who are being trained as doctors are also being trained to do the medical assistant’s job. It seems to me that most professionals feel that the Medical Assistant is an important asset to any health care setting. 

Works Cited

Taché. "Medical assistants: the invisible “glue” of primary health care practices in the United States." Journal of Health Organization and Management 24.3 (2010): 288-305.

http://journals.ohiolink.edu.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Tach_Stephanie.pdf?issn=14777266&issue=v24i0003&article=288_matiopcpitus. Accessed April 28, 2011.

Van den Berg, Gerard J., Anders Holm, and Jan C. van Ours. "Do stepping-stone jobs exist? Early career paths in the medical profession." Journal of Population Economics 15.4 (2002):

647 – 665. http://journals.ohiolink.edu.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/van_den_Berg_Gerard_J.pdf?issn=09331433&issue=v15i0004&article=647_dsjeecpitmp. Accessed April 28, 2011.