Medical Office Assistant: Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Introduction

As a medical assistant you will deal with numerous people, especially patients of different age, gender, and conditions, in a day. Hence it is vital for you to possess the necessary technical skills as well as people skills to excel in your job. 

Teamwork, leadership, communication and time management are considered soft skills while hard skills, on the other hand, are gained through education, training or experience with the technical needs of the job. Your medical assisting program will provide you with the technical skills you’ll need to start a profession. Following that, each profession will require you to develop specific hard skills in order to be successful while the soft skills you develop as a student and throughout your medical assistant employment are what will set you apart.

Here are some soft skills and hard skills required for a  medical office assistant:

Hard Skills

1. Collecting patient information and vital signs such as height, weight, pulse, other conditions.
2. Creating patient history records for future use and consistently updating the files as needed.
3. Performing patient blood works, vaccines, flu shots and medicine administration as required. 
4. Explaining important medical terms and procedures to patients.
5. Knowledge of MOA softwares, computer skills, operation of medical instruments to help and explain  to other staff who requires to use them
6. Manage insurance datas and policies of each patient accurately.
7. Help patients with lab referrals and guidance as directed by their physician.
8. Appointment and scheduling skills for in person patients or via phone.
9. Diligent inventory management restocking medicines and equipment timely Follow important safety protocols by cleaning and sterilizing the patient laundries, rooms, instruments and common areas complying to all requirements. 
10. Some of the hard skill certifications beneficial for a medical assistant includes Vital signs measurement, Injections, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Electrocardiogram (EKG), Patient preparation, Life support and Medical terminology.

Soft Skills

Soft skills, though hard to measure, play a vital role for medical assistants. Soft skills, often known as personality skills, are more difficult to assess, yet they are just as vital and valuable as hard skills. In fact, some say that “soft” skills are just as vital to patients and their families as “hard” skills during their time in the healthcare system.

1. Effective communication as you listen, understand and explain clearly the terms and procedures to the patient and their caretakers.
2. Strong communication skills to team members and colleagues minimizing errors through miscommunication.
3. Compassionate, patient and calm approach while handling patients to put them at ease about the procedures.
4. Being honest as you make mistakes so that the team can spring into action and find solutions reducing risks.
5. Proactive and quick thinking nature to assess and proceed to manage unexpected situations.
6. Strong work ethics especially at keeping patient information and medical history extremely confidential.
7. Time management skills to meet every appointment or walk-in patients understanding the nature of emergency. 

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