Medical Assistants and Patient Care Assistants: A Valued Role in the Patient Experience
At Midland Health and throughout healthcare organizations, Medical Assistants and Patient Care Assistants play a vital role in the patient journey. They provide a key element of the patient experience to continually move the clinical operations forward. The main difference between the two are the location of the role either being in a clinic or a hospital setting. Regardless of the location, they both are a fundamental valued role in delivering direct patient care. The clinical insight to be able to not only contribute to the patient experience, but many times the first to recognize when something is wrong or changing with the patient is vital in healthcare. Midland Health is currently hiring for both roles, learn more about each role in our organization.
Medical Assistants
By: Steve Olive, Executive Director of Group Management
Medical Assistants (MA’s) work very closely with our Doctors and Advanced Practitioners. The duties of the MA include rooming patients, taking vitals, administering injections, charting, phoning prescriptions, educating the patient, making referrals for testing or to other specialists, and assist our providers in meeting and satisfying quality measures that are important in increasing the ongoing quality of our service to our patients. For many of the MA’s, their duties extend to ordering supplies, stocking sample closets, making the exam room ready for the next patient, verifying that instruments are sterilized and ready for use the next day. Many of our Medical Assistants assist the Provider with the very necessary medicine reconciliation and starting the history and physical for their doctor.
Medical Assistants also often are listeners and a comforter for patients who are not well and need a sympathetic ear. Medical Assistants play a very vital role in the Midland Health ambulatory offices.
One of the doctors in our group has Medical Assistants who have worked with him since he started with our group ten years ago. He often tells me how important and instrumental they are to the success of his practice and the difference they make in helping him treat his very sick patient population.
(PCA) CNAs in the Hospital Setting
By: Kit Bredimus, DNP, RN, CEN, CPEN, CNML, NE-BC, QMHP-CS
Vice President of Nursing
Patient Care Assistants (PCA) are an integral part of the healthcare delivery team. In the hospital setting, PCAs work with nurses and providers to help patients. PCAs can be certified nurse aids (CNAs) or can be trained without certification to perform several functions. In the Emergency Department, PCAs are some of the first people you encounter and help with many tasks like EKGs, Vital signs, and procedure set up. On the inpatient areas, PCAs help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, walking, and assisting during procedures.
At MMH, we value the role that PCAs play in the lives of our patients and visitors. Similar to nurses, PCAs spend the majority of their time in direct patient care and are one of the most impactful people in the patient’s stay. PCAs not only perform medical tasks, but they also help alleviate patient fears and anxiety through caring conversations and connection. Many professionals start out their medical careers as PCAs, myself included. I began my career as a nurse aide where I built a strong foundation of healthcare knowledge while learning how to be a caring and empathetic professional at the bedside.
If you have a passion for caring for others and being part of a team, I highly encourage you to consider applying for a PCA or MA position. We are looking for motivated individuals to join our team who are seeking opportunities for personal growth and professional advancement.
If you are looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference, please apply directly at midlandhealth.org/careers then click on “Click Here to View Career Opportunities”.