Medical Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a medical assistant?

An efficient medical assistant helps maintain smooth operations of a medical clinic or hospital and provides a positive patient experience. A great medical assistant can do the following: 

• Interact with patients and record their medical history
• Schedule and organize patient appointments
• Maintain updated records of medical records and insurance information

What are the types of medical assistants?

Medical facilities hire different types of assistants, each with specific duties. All medical assistants have a similar rank within the greater hierarchy of a medical setting, but how they help the team can vary. Here are some types of medical assistants:

• Administrative medical assistants: These medical assistants help patients and doctors on the administrative side of health care. They often work in the front end of the clinic and might handle scheduling, medical record management, insurance processing and similar tasks to keep the office running.
• Clinical medical assistants: This position helps with the actual treatment of patients, assisting doctors and interacting with patients. The tasks can vary but might include sterilizing and preparing equipment, administering medication, preparing exam rooms, taking vitals and preparing patients for procedures.
• Specialty medical assistants: Some medical assistants specialize in a certain type of medicine and work with a doctor or surgeon in that field. Examples include ophthalmologic, obstetric or chiropractic medical assistants. They have knowledge in a particular area and assist with procedures unique to that specialty.

Where to find medical assistants

To find the right medical assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Partner with a school offering a medical assistant program. Serve as a guest speaker or host medical assistant students at your facility to start building connections with the students for recruitment after graduation.
• Ask for referrals. If you already have medical assistants on staff, start a referral program for them. They might have connections with medical assistants from school or previous jobs.
• Promote from within. Look at your current office staff, such as receptionists or other entry-level positions, to find good candidates for medical assistants. Offer tuition assistance for them to complete a medical assistant program, or train them on the job.
• Network with other medical professionals. Talk to your contacts within the medical field to find candidates.
• Post your job online. Try posting your medical assistant job on Indeed to find and attract quality medical assistant candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Medical Assistant

Medical Assistants are an integral part of a medical clinic or hospital. It is essential to note which qualifications and skills are vital for hiring a suitable Medical Assistant.

• Associate degree in a medical field (bachelor’s degree an asset)
• More than 2+ years of experience employed with a hospital or healthcare clinic
• Familiar with Inventory management experience
• Exhibit high professionalism and commitment to work
• Good customer service and interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Writing a medical assistant job description

A thoughtful description can help you find qualified medical assistant candidates. A medical assistant job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your medical assistant job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on medical assistant jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Medical assistant
• Medical
• Certified medical assistant
• Healthcare
• Medical office
• Phlebotomist
• Phlebotomy
• Assistant
• Hiring immediately
• Dermatology

Interviewing medical assistant candidates

To hire a suitable medical assistant, take the time to vet candidates and ask detailed interview questions regarding: 

• Proficiency in managing a health clinic or hospital 
• Interactions with patients
• Experience scheduling appointments and tests
• How they’ve contributed to sales and profit goals of other companies 

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of medical assistant interview questions for examples (with sample answers).