What Are Medical Assistants Allowed to
Do?
Medical assistants in the USA are bound by legal and ethical
rules, some of which vary from state to state. Important is
that all licensed, professional, technical and unlicensed
medical office staff in the front and back
office must know what a medical assistant is, and
does, and what they are allowed, and not allowed do.
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As
you already
know, working medical
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Medical
Assistant's Scope of Practice
Tasks the medical assistant is hired to do should be clearly
identified and outlined. For example, it should be made clear
that the medical assistant cannot make independent medical
assessments, triage, prescribe medications, or give any type of
medical advice.
Medical assistants, who disregard established professional
standards, and attempt to perform procedures, or tasks beyond
their training, capabilities, or scope of practice, or act
independently without permission, or the presence of a
supervising health care provider in the building, are in
danger of exposing themselves, patients, and their supervisors
to serious consequences that carry far
reaching liability issues.
For Example:
Medical assistants are not
allowed to make independent medical assessments
(triage), or give medical advice at any time under any
circumstances. Also many states mandate that anybody
performing phlebotomy, ultrasound procedures, EKGs, or
X-rays must have a specific license to do so, including
medical assistants.
However, medical assistants are
allowed to relay
y detailed messages and instructions
from the doctor to a patient, or skilled nursing facility
staff. To protect all involved, and proper tracking, the
message should be written out and initialed by the doctor.
Then, once the message was given to the intended person,
the medical assistant should add his/her initials, the
date, and perhaps the name of the person who received the
message. This document should then be filed into the
patient's chart.
Should new questions about the doctor's message arise
during the conversation, the medical assistant should not
independently make his/her own recommendations. The message
should be annotated and brought back to the doctor to
respond.
What
Medical Assistants Can and Cannot Do
Delegation of
Tasks
The rule of thumb is that a medical assistant may only
do tasks that a medical doctor, or other licensed healthcare
practitioner, such as an RN, nurse practitioner, or PA has
ordered and delegated to her.
Exceptions:
In Alaska: under Alaska Statutes and The Alaska Administrative
Code properly trained and certified medical assistants can
insert urinary catheters, and start IV tubing, and administer
medications as ordered in that IV under the direction of a
physician. However, these, or any other patient care tasks
CANNOT be delegated by a RN nurse in that state.
As a matter of fact, medical assistants can't do anything
supervised by a nurse in Alaska. A medical doctor MUST
be present at all times.
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