Best Skills to incorporate in Your Healthcare Assistant Curriculum vitae

Given that COVID-19 is expected to persist until global herd immunity is achieved, the need for medical professionals, including doctors and medical assistants, will continue to be essential in adapting to the new normal. As this demand continues to grow, pursuing a career as a medical assistant is a promising entry point into the healthcare industry.

However, before securing a position in this field, it’s crucial to have a well-crafted medical assistant resume. A well-crafted resume is an indispensable tool for a successful job search and should emphasize the relevant skills required for the role. Therefore, gaining a clear understanding of the skills and proficiencies expected in a medical assistant’s resume is of paramount importance.

Understanding the Role of a Medical Assistant

Medical assistants collaborate closely with physicians, playing a pivotal role in the healthcare industry by providing support to both healthcare professionals and patients. Their responsibilities encompass a wide range of administrative and clinical tasks. Here are some key responsibilities and qualifications of a medical assistant:

• Assisting patients by offering information, services, and support
• Conducting patient interviews and recording medical histories
• Serving as a liaison between patients and physicians by conveying doctor’s orders and addressing questions about procedures or treatments
• Preparing patients for examination by conducting initial physical assessments, including measuring blood pressure, weight, and temperature, and summarizing patient medical histories
• Aiding physicians with office procedures
• Scheduling surgeries by coordinating with hospitals, confirming dates with patients, and preparing charts and pre-admission and consent forms
• Maintaining medical equipment inventory and performing preventive maintenance to ensure the proper functioning of medical devices

Key Skills to Include in Your Medical Assistant Resume

As evident from the list above, medical assistants assume a wide range of responsibilities, necessitating a strong focus on both administrative and clinical skills. Hence, it is essential to discern which skills to incorporate into your resume. Here are some essential medical assistant skills to guide you in effectively crafting your resume.

Basic Workplace Skills

These office skills encompass the fundamental tasks of office management applicable to various industries. Office skills encompass both written and verbal communication, as well as customer service abilities.

Furthermore, healthcare assistants may also be responsible for handling basic billing and bookkeeping duties. Management skills encompass your proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, especially if your job involves documenting and managing patient information. Familiarity with healthcare records software and computer troubleshooting can also be beneficial.

Healthcare Administrative Skills

In addition to office skills, the role of a medical assistant entails healthcare administrative responsibilities. These skills include managing inventories of medical supplies and placing reorders as necessary. Medical assistants must adeptly choose suppliers based on both price and quality. Your duties will involve scheduling patient appointments, coordinating hospital admissions, working with laboratory services, updating patient records following examinations and test results, and maintaining medical records.

As a medical assistant, you will also take charge of hospital billing, which involves processing insurance forms, reconciling copayments, resolving insurance billing inquiries, and advocating for patients with their insurance providers.

Medical and Clinical Proficiencies

While medical assistants are under the supervision of physicians and not trained to provide treatment or medications to patients, they are expected to possess basic medical skills. Medical assistants are tasked with offering simple medical and clinical care to patients until a physician is available for examination.

Your responsibilities will include administering medications, administering injections, applying dressings, drawing blood, collecting blood and urine samples, removing sutures, conducting EKGs, and conveying information and questions between doctors and patients. You will also prepare examination rooms for patient assessments.

Furthermore, you will facilitate prescription refills, conduct accurate assessments of vital signs, and possess basic life support (BLS) skills such as CPR. Adherence to infection control and safety protocols, as well as quality control standards for sanitizing and setting up instruments, maintaining medical equipment, and preparing treatment areas for patient examinations, is essential.

Patient Interaction

In the context of assisting with clinical procedures and appointments, medical assistants need to establish positive social and communication skills with patients. In this role, you act as a bridge between physicians and patients, necessitating clear and non-technical explanation of medical instructions, information, and procedures. You will guide and prepare patients for examinations, requiring a calm and supportive approach, especially with anxious or challenging patients.

Occasionally, you may encounter patients who speak different languages, so fluency in two to three languages can be advantageous, facilitating better and more effective patient care.

It’s also essential to maintain patient information confidentiality, ensuring the secure handling of patient data. Your responsibilities may include completing and safeguarding medical records, as well as performing diagnostic and procedure coding.

Related Post: Effective Tips on How to Create a Job-Winning Medical Resume

List of Healthcare Assistant Resume Skills

Incorporating specific keywords can improve your resume’s chances of passing through applicant tracking systems (ATS), the first step to getting your application noticed. Here are some keywords to guide you in crafting your skillset for your medical assistant resume.

List of Entry-Level Healthcare Assistant Resume Skills

• Customer Service
• Inventory Management
• Medical Skills
• Document Skills
• Inventory Control
• Supply Management
• Patient Confidentiality
• Appointment Scheduling
• Healthcare Coding
• Basic Life Support
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

List of Soft Skills for Healthcare Assistant Resume

• Professionalism
• Attention to Detail
• Oral and Written Communication
• Time Management
• Collaboration and Teamwork
• Integrity
• Teamwork Ability

Preparing for a Career as a Healthcare Assistant

If you are considering entering the healthcare industry, becoming a medical assistant offers a quicker path than pursuing a medical or nursing degree. Those pursuing a medical degree typically need to complete at least a four-year program, while becoming a physician can take 12 or more years. However, medical assistants do not require formal education. Nevertheless, some employers prefer candidates who have completed a one- or two-year training program at a college or vocational school.
Medical assistant certification is voluntary, although it can lead to better job prospects, demonstrating competence and proficiency as a medical assistant. There are five primary medical assistant certifications and organizations:

• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) from the American Association of Medical Assistants
• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) from American Medical Technologists
• National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) from the National Center for Competency Testing
• Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) from the National Healthcareer Association
• Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) from the National Healthcareer Association

Requirements for each certification vary, but many include completing medical assistant education or gaining work experience, as well as passing a certification exam.

Ensure Your Resume Is Updated Before Applying for the Medical Assistant Position

Now that you’ve reviewed the essential medical assistant skills to include on your resume, you’ve taken a crucial step toward securing that job opportunity. Crafting your resume can be a challenging task, especially in the face of increasing competition for the position. It’s imperative to keep your resume current. Therefore, it’s a wise decision to enlist the services of a professional resume writer to create an effective medical assistant resume.

If you’re in search of the top resume writing services, we’ve got you covered! We have meticulously evaluated the best medical resume writing services for your convenience. You can also explore valuable tips to help you craft your own resume.