Many specialties provide you with opportunities for rewarding
and challenging work as a medical assistant. You
might enjoy working in the specialty of internal medicine,
assisting doctors who diagnose and treat disorders and diseases
of the body's internal organs. In such a practice you
might assess patients for chronic fatigue syndrome or help
detect possible substance abuse. You could perform or assist
with diagnostic testing such as urine and blood tests
and bacterial cultures. You might educate patients on diseases
of aging, infectious diseases, and sexually transmitted
diseases. Pediatrics might provide interesting and satisfying
work, especially if you like working with children. Your
primary responsibilities would involve educating parents
or caregivers, preparing children for examination, and detecting
child abuse. Specific duties might include performing
a scoliosis examination, assisting in regular checkups,
and performing a throat culture to test for strep. Your role
as an educator could involve providing facts on sudden
infant death syndrome to parents or giving pamphlets on
learning disabilities to caregivers. Obstetricians and gynecologists are specialists who
treat conditions of the female reproductive system, care for
pregnant women, and deliver babies. Assisting in this specialty
might involve preparing women for a pelvic examination,
assisting with a cervical biopsy, and providing
support to infertile couples. You would also be responsible
for providing information to pregnant women about prenatal
care. Medical assisting positions in the basic specialties
usually involve a wide range of responsibilities and
tasks. You will find many opportunities to develop your
skills and interests if you work in one of these medical
specialties.
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