Why Medical Assistants are Key to Effective Patient Communication

Posted On September 13,2024

As a medical assistant, you will have many roles. Medical assistants perform a variety of tasks during their day, including preparing exam rooms, greeting and escorting patients to their treatment rooms, taking vital signs and patient histories, assisting physicians with patient exams, updating medical records, scheduling follow up appointments, and doing any other clinical or administrative tasks as needed. While clinical skills are obviously important, one of the most important roles a medical assistant has is serving as the communication link between the patient and other medical staff. When beginning your career as a medical assistant, honing your communication skills is key to your future success.

Medical Assistants are the First Point of Patient Contact

It is very rare that the first medical professional a patient will encounter will be their doctor, or even a nurse. In most cases, after checking in with a receptionist or other office staff member, the medical assistant is the first person to really interact with the patient. When you have that initial patient contact, you set the tone for their whole appointment. 

If you can make a connection with the patient, put them at ease, and create a positive environment, the appointment will likely go much more smoothly because the patient will look at you as someone they trust and someone they can go to with questions and concerns. 

In many cases, the physicians, specialists, and nurses are juggling a heavy caseload and need to be very efficient in their patient interactions, which may come across as uncaring and abrupt. If the patient trusts you because you set the tone at the very beginning of their visit, they know that they have someone to talk to if they are concerned, and that you can help them communicate with their doctor. If a patient is frustrated, they can rely on the medical assistant who understands their situation.

Communication Leads to Success

As discussed, medical assistants are the link between the patient and the rest of the medical staff. While the doctors and nurses will obviously speak with the patient during their time, medical assistants will facilitate the understanding. This includes gathering patient information to relay to the doctor, explaining procedures to the patients, communicating questions the patient may have, making sure the patient understands the information the physician has given them, and, maybe most importantly, making sure the patient is clear on the instructions given to them about future treatment, medication, and follow up appointments. Before a patient leaves the facility, the medical assistant will make sure they understand what they will need to do next.

Medical Assistants Make Sure Patients Understand  

Medical terminology can be confusing, and many patients who are already anxious about their condition or procedure will quickly become overwhelmed. As a medical assistant, part of your role is to make sure that the patients understand what is happening – in other words, translating medical terminology into simple terms. 

When you can break down a complicated procedure, diagnosis, or instructions into something that you are certain the patient will understand, they are much more likely to follow instructions, comply with treatments, and relax enough to make the procedure much more successful. Patients who feel like they don’t understand what is going on can have an increase in anxiety, and this can make for a really negative experience. 

When you are able to communicate clearly and reduce that anxiety, you can help the patient get through a stressful medical situation. Through clear communication and compassion, medical assistants provide a more comfortable environment, leading to better health outcomes.

Collaborating with the Medical Team is Just as Important

While knowing how to communicate effectively with patients is important, you will also need to be able to communicate with the rest of the medical team. As a medical assistant, you will take the information from the patient and relay it to the rest of the team. This means you will have to quickly, efficiently, and effectively summarize what the patient shared with you and make sure the physician and nurses have all the relevant information about the patient’s history, their symptoms and concerns, and their questions. Medical assistants who focus on being very clear and concise when communicating will find a rewarding career in healthcare.

Develop Your Communication Skills  

During your training as a medical assistant, you will learn how to distill medical terms and instructions into simple language your patients can understand, but you will also learn about how to best hone your communication skills. Using active listening is one of the best ways to let your patients know you are there to help them. This includes giving non-verbal cues, making eye contact, and avoiding distractions during your conversations. You’ll learn to ask open-ended questions to make sure patients know what is going on. Your medical assistant training will help you learn to handle difficult conversations with compassion and empathy. As you gain more experience, you will build on these skills even more.

Medical assistants are the link between the patient and physician, and it’s important that you recognize this when you begin working as a medical assistant. Mastering effective communication takes time, but with more experience, you will begin to build relationships with your patients and find the best way to help people in a positive and meaningful way. 

Now is a great time to pursue a career in healthcare, and our comprehensive medical assistant training offers flexible class times and no waitlist so you can get started right away. Contact Athena Career Academy to schedule a campus tour or get details on how to enroll.