Medical Assistant

A podiatry medical assistant is one whom specializes in ankle and foot care. Medical assistants keep the medical office running efficiently and take on many tasks. A podiatry medical assistant's responsibilities may include ordering, sorting, storing supplies and restocking exam rooms. Cleaning exam areas, setting up instruments and equipment and cleaning the sterilizer. Greeting patients, answering the office phones, performing data entry and scheduling appointments, assisting front office staff if and when needed and manual insurance verifications. Any other duties determined appropriate by management.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Prepares patients for examination by taking vitals; recording medical history into Epic
• Escorting patients to and from exam rooms
• Complying with OSHA and HIPPA regulations
• Schedules surgeries by making arrangements with the surgical centers; verifying times with patients; preparing charts, pre-admission and consent forms
• Help the physician with procedures
• Give patients injections as directed by the physician
• Casting for Orthotics
• Applying Below knee cast
• Appling Low Dying strapping to feet
• Performing Nail Debridement
• Dressing changes
• Performing X-Rays
• Updating Logs

Qualifications

High School diploma or equivalent required.

Special Position Requirements

Light travel to other offices may be required for business needs.

Preferences

At least one (1) year of experience preferred, Medical Assistant Certification is preferred, Epic experience is preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must communicate professionally and courteously with patients and clinic staff. Employee must be able to sit for at least an hour at a time. Employee must be able to stand and walk for up to 20 minutes at a time. Employee is required to assist with rooming patients, filing, and other basic office tasks to include keeping office environment and waiting room clean. This will require the ability to bend, stoop, and lift up to 5-10 lbs. The position requires the ability to utilize the computer and keyboard for long periods of time.

Work Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, bend, reach and squat. Employee duties will frequently require computer usage including the ability to type as well as verbally communicate with patients and co-workers. Occasional lifting up to 30lbs. Assist patients in and out of the patient chair with support with other staff members.

Inventory

We receive daily deliveries of medical products and supplies from UPS/FedEx in large boxes; these are unpacked by medical assistants and placed in appropriate supply cabinets throughout the offices as they arrive so as not to block corridors. Materials such as durable medical equipment (boots, braces, etc) arrive in boxes weighing over 50 pounds and require maneuvering and unpacking.

Orthotics

Casting for custom foot orthoses is a routine occurrence (multiple times daily) in a podiatric physician’s office. This requires retrieving and assembling materials for casting, including large basins of warmed water for plaster application. These basins when full weigh 20 pounds and require lifting from a sink to a rolling stand to be pushed to a casting suite. For pre-fabricated inserts, the ability to reach overhead (Buckhead) storage shelving or under counter (Stockbridge and Fayetteville offices) racks is imperative as we dispense these throughout the day.

Xrays

Radiographs are a routine part of treatment for podiatric conditions with roughly half of patients receiving xrays on their visits. We utilize floor xrays for weight bearing capture and medical assistants are expected to aid foot positioning by kneeling or stooping to position the foot appropriately. We use digital radiograph systems with a movable cassette sensor that weighs 10 pounds. This sensor has to be inserted into slots for appropriate capture. One slot is parallel to the ground and is 1/2 inch from the floor; this sensor has to be removed completely, lifted 2 feet then reinserted at a 90 degree angle in a differently position for alternate positions. The assistant must be able to bend down and lift these cassettes without dropping them.

Patient transfer

Many of our patients are elderly and some are incapacitated. Medical assistants are expected to assist patients on and off treatment chairs, assist in moving limbs, removing and replacing shoes and boots. Occasionally patients are unable to get into our treatment chairs, as they frail or are in wheelchairs. In preparing these patients for physician exam there is a necessity for medical assistants to sit on the floor to remove shoes and socks or perform nail debridements while leaning, stooping or sitting on the ground. Assistants are also expected

Casting

Part of post surgical and fracture care requires casting and/or bandage application. Medical assistants are expected to hold a limb in position for these scenarios while the physician applies soft materials or fiberglass. A human limb can weigh in excess of 50 pounds and often much more and application of a cast may take 10 or more minutes. Podiatrists routinely apply bandages and casts with medical assistant aiding multiple times a day.

Instrument processing

Each patient is guaranteed to receive clean and sterile instruments. after their visit, these instruments are collected in a universal basin for rinsing, cleansing, packaging and sterilization on a counter sterilizer. This requires 15-20 minutes of leaning over a sink and reaching into a large basin while each instrument is individually handled. A sterilization tray when loaded with instruments may weight in excess of 10 pounds depending on the number and quantity of instruments used. Sterilization is performed several times throughout the day and at the end of each day in preparation for the next days’ clinic.

Procedures

Podiatrists routinely (greater than 4-5 times daily) perform procedures such as removing ingrown toenails, removing foreign bodies, excision of warts and debridement of wounds on the feet and legs. Many of these require preparation of a sterile tray (mayo stand, sterile instrument packs and draping.) This involves movement of 15 pound metal mayo stands into and out of rooms, opening and assembling sterile instrument packs which involves reaching over a field to maintain sterility, and assisting with a procedure (passing medications, cutting sutures, saline flushes, retrieving specimens, etc.) Procedures can last between 5-20 minutes, requiring concentration and proactive involvement of the assistant. Bandages are generally applied by an assistant while a patient remains still, requiring dexterity and often an assistant bending over.

Medical assistants are expected to perform routine nail debridements under the supervision of the physician. This involves prepping the patient, removal of elongated or fungal toenail material with manual instrumentation and motorized grinders, cleansing of debris and re-donning socks and shoes. Generally 10-12 patients per day are treated for conditions requiring nail debridement.

Medications

Medical assistants are expected to draw and deliver medications to treatment rooms (lidocaine, marcaine, cantharone, etc.) These medications are stored in lockable overhead cabinets per regulations and require reaching over head into and out of the cabinet. Precision is required for medication draws to prevent wrong medication delivery and exact dose measuring to prevent adverse events. Concentration, dexterity, and reaching overhead are required very routinely throughout the course of the work day.

Record keeping

Medical assistants are required to bring patients to the treatment rooms from the waiting room, assist with getting them into the chair, take and record vitals and pertinent medical history. This information is then entered into their electronic chart. Vitals consist of temperature and blood pressure measurement. It is expected that the assistant can reach around a patients arm to assemble blood pressure cuffs to perform the read. Concentration is required to adequately and accurately capture chief complaints, pertinent histories, medication lists, and vitals which must be recorded in a timely manner.

General office cleaning

Medical assistants maintain the back office supplies (inventory and replenishment) and cleaning. After each patient visit chairs are wiped down with sanitizer as are the counters cabinets and any items in the room that have been touched. At the end of each treatment session or day trash is removed from the rooms and new bags replaced. Trash is collected at the end of each day and brought to an on-site dumpster. In both our Stockbridge and Fayetteville office, due to the patient volume, at least 3-4 large trash bags totaling 10 or more pounds are brought to the dumpster roughly 100 yards from the building.

Acknowledgment

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All employees have a responsibility to comply with our organization's policies and procedures, code of conduct, etc. Additionally, adherence to the code of conduct, timely reporting of any issues, and completion of compliance training is a condition of employment.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and veteran or disability status.