Where Can an MA Student Gain Hands-On Experience?

Posted On July 17,2017

Hands-on experience is essential in the medical field. While an MA (medical assistant) program prepares you with the knowledge and advice you need to succeed, applying it all in a real-life setting prepares you with skills you will need throughout your professional life. Your work as a medical assistant is quite critical; your work with human lives and your role is essential to their well-being. Hands-on experience gives you confidence and prepares you to work effectively once you join the job market. It also makes you a stronger candidate in the job market after your studies.

Some of the facilities available for you to gain hands-on experience as an MA student include:

Retirement Communities

There are several retirement communities dedicated to serving the aging baby boomers, increasing job opportunities medical assistants. Such communities will give you an opportunity to work directly under a medical assistant on both administrative and care giving duties. A lot of work in retirement homes is quite repetitive, making them a good place for you to acquire basic skills such as administering injections, cleaning wounds or creating patient care schedules, while improving your confidence early on in your studies.

Alternative Medicine Facilities

Alternative medical facilities such as chiropractic offices are easy to overlook. Since they also cater to patients, they offer a unique learning opportunity in a relaxed setting. Most alternative medicine facilities are quite small meaning you can easily learn everything that goes into the successful running of a clinic.

Research Facilities and Medical Labs

Research centers and medical labs deal a lot with collection and handling of specimen, a skill you will need while working as a medical assistant. Other skills include sample labeling, storing, testing and shipping. Such facilities also require plenty of administrative duties to ensure proper recording and filling of processes, providing you the opportunity to improve your medical data management skills. The skills also prepare for to work as a medical assistant in labs that function separately from healthcare facilities and dedicated research centers. Such an experience equips you with basic skills, but also prepares you to work in multiple settings.

Primary Care Facilities

Primary care facilities such as hospitals operate 24/7, offering you a high paced and unpredictable learning environment. You will come across multiple cases and work in various departments, which help you in skills diversification. Such environments also prepare you to handle different personalities and manage stress better. Such facilities receive diverse and unprecedented patients, which allows you to learn more and diversify your skills and knowledge.

Outpatient Care Centers

Outpatient care centers offer different medical services that do not necessitate an overnight stay such as minor surgeries, checkups, and lab tests. In such facilities, you will help with X-rays, taking vital signs, and completing administrative tasks. Although the environment is quite busy, it’s more predictable than hospitals and you can get to work late in the evening or over weekends.

Insurance Carriers

Some medical insurance companies employ medical assistants to work on administrative duties, handle medical billing officers, answer client questions and input data. Here you get to apply your knowledge in the medical field in an alternative field. You also have an opportunity to improve your people skills and diversify your experience.

As an MA student, you have access to multiple facilities that can offer you hands-on experience, preparing you for the workplace. You also get to network with other professionals, who mentor you and may help you with your career in the future. Enroll into the Athena Career Academy MA program for quality education, world-class training and guidance on the best facilities for hands-on experience.