Medical Assistant (Mohs)

Medical Assistant (Mohs)

The Mohs Medical/Surgical Assistant is to provide assistance to the licensed-medical doctor in multiple settings including the clinic and outpatient surgical settings. They are to provide safe, knowledgeable, compassionate individualized care to all patients. Responsible for the following, based on the needs of the organization:

• Serve as a patient advocate during patient exam, surgery and treatment
• Interview surgery patients to obtain medical information
• Measure patients' vital signs, weight and height
• Show patients to examination rooms, procedure rooms or operative rooms, and prepare them for the physician
• Review a surgical informed consent with the patient prior to their procedure
• Record patients' medical history, medications, allergies, vital signs and test results in an Electronic Health Record (EHR)
• Set up a sterile surgical tray
  • Inspect sterile items prior to opening
  • Open sterile surgical items in a sterile fashion
  • Lay supplies out on sterile field in an organized manner
  • Place surgical gloves on hands using sterile technique
• Assist the physician during surgery while maintaining sterile field:
  • Blot with gauze when needed
  • Under surgeon direction, use skin hooks to gently retract skin while surgeon undermines or uses cautery device
  • Use forceps to hold suture line away from field or to help hold suture line tip in place to assist surgeon during knot placement
  • Use scissors to clip suture at various lengths depending on placement of knot (epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat, etc.)
  • Assist surgeon during cauterization
  • Know the difference between thermal cautery and electrocautery, and which one is preferable in various patient situations so the correct device can be prepared in a clean/sterile fashion
• Properly numb a patient's skin using local anesthetics as directed by the physician
• Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician following safety protocol of right dose, right patient, right route, right drug and noting expiration date
• Collect blood, tissue or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing
• Explain surgical/treatment procedures, medications, diets
• Explain wound care instructions and physicians' instructions to patients
• Explain and comfort patients with regards to expected healing times for various types of wounds and locations (i.e., know that flaps/grafts take longer to heal than regular excisions and have slightly higher complication rates, know that wounds on the lower extremities may take longer to heal than wounds on the face or upper body, etc.)
• Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments and materials or performing such tasks as giving injections and removing sutures
• Accept triage style phone calls from patients and know which situations require the patient to be seen vs being able to counsel the patient over the phone. Know to ask the surgeon if there is ever any doubt.
• Under physician direction, authorize drug refills, enter prescription information into the EHR, and provide prescription information to pharmacies
• Know how to clean surgical instruments, wrap them in sterile packs, and place them in an autoclave
• Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms organized, neat, and clean
• Assess the patient's condition throughout the exam, procedure or surgery according to the facility's policies and notify physician and/or RN of any indication of distress
• Responsible for cleaning room and medical equipment in between each patient and at the end of the day
• Correctly disposes of infection waste and biohazard materials
• Schedule appointments for patients: including surgery appointments (Mohs surgery, excisions) and clinic appointments (wound checks, Mohs consultations, suture removals, etc.)
  • Have basic medical and surgical knowledge as it relates to Dermatology and Mohs surgery
  • Know what various blood thinners are
  • Know the basic difference between a pacemaker and defibrillator
  • Know the different types of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, other) and how they pertain to Mohs surgery vs excision
  • Know basic external anatomy of the head and neck (for example, know that the nasal sidewall is on the nose, conchal bowl is on the ear, occipital scalp is the back of the scalp, etc.)
  • Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests, admission, or collaborative surgical care (for example, coordinate care with ENT if patient is having Mohs surgery with our team and repair/closure by a local ENT physician)
• Change dressings on wounds and can place a good pressure bandage after Mohs or excisions
• Know how to place steri-strips and use mastisol
• Know how to carefully use Hibiclens (chlorhexidine) as a surgical prep (and to avoid the eyes/ears at all costs). Know when to use other preps, such as Ocusoft, alcohol, iodine, etc.
• Inventory and assess the need for instruments, supplies and equipment while keeping the room fully stocked (daily)
• Inventory and order medical supplies (monthly) and ensure all equipment is in proper working order
• Perform accurate documentation of all procedures in a timely manner. Input information efficiently into the EHR (we currently use Modernizing Medicine - EMA)
• Maintain adaptable and functional computer skills
• Respond to emergency situations based upon nursing standards, policies, procedures, and protocol by having knowledge of equipment and supplies and is familiar with their location
  • Know how to operate an oxygen tank, oxygen mask and nasal cannula
  • Know how to recognize when a patient "vasovagals" and performs the first steps to help patient through this situation
  • Assist physicians in patient, employee, or visitor medical emergencies and ensure proper documentation per facility's protocol
• Adhere to all policies and procedures in performing job duties and responsibilities
• Uphold a culture of high quality medical care, supportive work environment, and excellent patient experience
• Perform other duties that may be necessary or in the best interest of the organization