Medical Assistant - Karina E.

*Disclaimer: The following jobs are NOT current job postings—they are merely examples of my paid patient care experience, the types of duties I performed, and how I obtained these jobs. Certification was not required for any of these jobs but all of the jobs did prefer candidates with 1) Prior paid work experience (even if not medical—example: I used my work experience as a teaching assistant and a restaurant hostess because it showed that I had experience in customer service),2) prior direct patient care experience (undergraduate can use volunteer experiences such as Pathmaker Internship, Flying Samaritans. Employers loved this!), and 3) a long term commitment (minimum 1-2 years). This advice can be used for obtaining a paid clinical job at most companies and clinics.

Medical Assistant at Women’s Integrative Health (OB/GYN private practice)

Time Period: June 2016-January 2017

Certification: None. Trained on the job

Availability: Full-time. Clinic hours are Monday-Friday 7 am-7 pm. Position is ideal for post-graduation/gap year.

Job Duties: Front and Back Office Duties.

Front Office Duties:

• Check-In/Check-out Patients

• Manage patient scheduling, medical records, and appointments for 3 OB/GYN physicians and surgeons.

• Prepare orders for blood work, radiology exams, and surgical procedures

• Review test results with patients.

Back Office Duties:

• Room patients, take vitals, document chief complaint In EMR

• Prepare patients and examination rooms for procedures such as well-woman annual examinations, pap smears, colposcopy, endometrial biopsies, loop electrosurgical excision procedures, IUD insertions/removals, DXA scans, Fetal Non-Stress Tests/Amniotic Fluid Index test.

• Administer injections

• Utilize the Doppler machine to record fetal heart tones

• Place OB patients on ultrasounds

• Run urinalysis for urinary tract infections and pregnancy detection

• Prepare biological samples to be sent to laboratory for further analysis

• Clean/overturn rooms. Restocking and re-ordering medical supplies

How I got the job:

I found the job posting on the PPASO Facebook page from a past UCSD alumna. The post stated that the position did not require certification but “willing to train the right person”. During the interview, I used stories from some of the patient interactions that I had acquired during the Pathmaker Internship and Flying Samaritans trips to score the job! Some of my co-workers found the job through a Craigslist post, so that is another option for job hunting as well.

Medical Assistant at The Neurology Center of Southern California

Time Period: January 2017-Present

Certification: None. Trained on the job.

Availability: Full Time. Monday-Friday. 40 hours per week. Ideal for post-graduation/gap year clinical experience. No part time positions available. 1-2 year commitment.

Job Duties:

• Patient intake: Bring patients back to their rooms, take vitals, verify chief complaint, review/update current medications, and obtain past medical/social history.

• Administer injections

• Draw and mix medications for Nerve Blocks and Chemodenervation treatments

• Set up sterile fields for procedures such as lumbar punctures and small fiber biopsies

• Prep patients for Electromyography and Nerve Conduction studies

• Administer Visual Field Examinations

• Perform mini-mental status exams and montreal cognitive assessments to screen for dementia, Alzheimers, and cognitive decline

• Refill prescriptions

• Call and inform patients about their diagnostic results

• Extra Perks: On the job PA shadowing opportunities. Mentorship from PAs. NP, and physicians. Mock Interview practice with the lead PA every 3 months.

How I got the job:

The lead PA, Andrew Inocelda PA-C, was a guest speaker at a PPASO GBM last year. I stayed after the meeting to ask him questions and he gave me his contact information. He informed me that he was in the process of starting a “Pre-PA Program” at The Neurology Center, where he is able to provide aspiring PA students with the opportunity work a full-time paid position as Medical Assistants and interact with practicing Physician Assistants, Physicians, and other medical professions. I was the first of a cohort of 6 pre-PAs in the company to be hired.