MA RESPONSIBILITIES
A patient asks an MA, “Do I have this disease?” The MA should avoid answering because this would require what type of responsibility?
Diagnosis and independent medical decision-making.
A patient receives treatment and goes home the same day. Is this inpatient or outpatient care?
Outpatient care.
A doctor provides care for children from birth through adolescence. What specialty is involved?
Pediatrics
A licensed provider assigns an appropriate task to an MA. What is this process called?
Delegation
Which healthcare team member performs a blend of clinical and administrative procedures?
Medical assistant.
An MA enters standardized medical codes into a patient record after services are provided. What task is this?
Coding.
A patient remains in a hospital overnight for treatment. What type of care is this?
Inpatient care.
A patient age 70 needs ongoing medical care. Which specialty specifically focuses on adults age 65 and older?
Geriatric medicine.
What term describes the legal roles, responsibilities, and procedures a professional is trained and allowed to perform?
Scope of practice
Which team members are licensed professionals who provide direct care and can often prescribe medications: MAs or NPs/PAs?
Mid-level providers — NPs and PAs.
An MA performs a test at the patient’s side instead of sending the test away. What concept does this demonstrate?
Point-of-care testing.
A patient talks with a healthcare provider through video instead of visiting the office. What healthcare service is being used?
Telehealth.
A provider treats adults of many ages and handles prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. What specialty is this?
Internal medicine.
An MA is asked to decide which patient should be treated first based on medical urgency. Why is this outside the MA’s listed role?
Triage is a task that MAs cannot perform.
A worker performs venipuncture as a specifically assigned task. What type of healthcare team member could perform this role?
A technician, such as a phlebotomy technician.
A clinic employee handles insurance claims, scheduling, and medical records. Which major category of MA work do these duties represent?
Administrative tasks.
An MA works in a pharmacy, urgent care clinic, or specialty clinic. What broad category from the guide describes these as possible workplaces?
Common workplaces.
A patient arrives at a trauma center with an acute injury. Which specialty would most directly handle the situation?
Emergency medicine.
An MA knows a medication that could help a patient and is asked to prescribe it. What should the MA recognize?
Prescribing medications is outside the MA’s permitted scope of practice.
An MA is reliable, responsible, empathetic, and uses discretion with patient information. What do these qualities demonstrate?
Professionalism
An MA takes a medical history, measures vital signs, prepares a patient for an exam, and assists the provider. What major category connects these responsibilities?
Clinical tasks because they directly involve patient care.
Explain the key difference between inpatient and outpatient care without simply using the words “hospital” and “clinic.”
Inpatient care involves staying overnight, while outpatient care does not require an overnight stay.
A patient needs surgery involving one of the body systems, including care before and after the operation. Which specialty does the guide identify?
General surgery.
An MA is asked to independently choose a patient’s treatment plan. Which limitation from the guide applies?
MAs cannot make treatment decisions or perform tasks requiring independent medical decision-making.
A medical assistant works under the delegation of licensed healthcare providers and performs both administrative and clinical duties. However, the MA cannot independently diagnose, prescribe medication, perform triage, make treatment decisions, perform surgery, or provide IV therapy. What major concept explains these restrictions?
Scope of practice — it defines the roles, responsibilities, and procedures that a medical assistant is legally trained and allowed to perform.