Pursuing a career in the healthcare industry takes a lot of time, hard work, and dedication. You have to invest in your education and training as you journey towards further professional development. This way, you have the knowledge and skills needed to become an excellent healthcare professional.
Some of the most prevalent healthcare training choices today are phlebotomy and medical assisting. If you are stuck choosing between the two, this article can help you better understand each program to let you have a better-informed decision on your career.
What Are the Tasks and Responsibilities of Phlebotomists?
Phlebotomy is much more specialized work than medical assisting since it strictly centers around drawing blood from patients for performing various types of tests. Here are some of your tasks and responsibilities when you become a phlebotomist:
- Physically drawing blood from patients
- Helping patients to cope with the fear and anxiety involved with having their blood drawn
- Verifying the identity of patients
- Labeling blood samples correctly
- Recording patient information accurately
- Keeping equipment and medical instruments in good condition
You can also be allowed to collect urine samples, toxicology screens, or culture-sensitive screens, depending on your medical needs.
How Can I Get Certified in Phlebotomy?
Compared to a medical assistant program, you can expect less schooling if you want to become a phlebotomist because the task revolves around drawing blood. Phlebotomists attend a training program in a medical career training center that usually lasts from six months to one year, like our phlebotomy training in Indiana. You can get certified through organizations that offer certification testing services to medical assistants.
What Are the Clinical and Clerical Duties of Medical Assistants?
If you decide to become a medical assistant, your work-related tasks will be a combination of those involving direct patient care and administrative ones. Here are some of the clinical and clerical tasks you have to accomplish:
- Clinical Duties
- Take patient vital signs
- Answer non-medical questions, help patients calm down, and provide other patient care within your limited scope of practice
- Giving patients injections
- Drawing blood from patients
- Performing EKG testing
- Clerical Duties
- Performing reception-related tasks
- Scheduling patient appointments
- Communicating with patients
- Stocking supplies
- Keeping track of inventory
- Managing patient-related paperwork
How Do I Become a Certified Medical Assistant?
To become a certified medical assistant, you have to attend training programs that last from eight months to two years, like our medical assistant classes in Indiana. You can take a full-time or part-time program, depending on your schedule and preferences.
In addition, you can start your career as a medical assistant through on-the-job training so you can take advantage of other healthcare job opportunities. After finishing school, you have to pass a certification exam. One of your options is the NHA CCMA exam.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to become a phlebotomist or medical assistant. While both are rewarding careers, you have to understand their differences and consider various factors to make the right choice and ensure you are pursuing the right job. Once you made up your mind, take proper training by enrolling in various medical training classes specialized to your course.
Get the best education possible for your chosen career by enrolling in Medical Career Academy. We are dedicated to providing you with the highest quality of education in different healthcare fields. Contact us to register!