Lead Medical Assistant

Salud Para la Gente•Watsonville, CA

12h

About The Position

Salud Para La Gente (SALUD) is a primary health care network serving underserved communities in the Monterey Bay area. The Lead Medical Assistant provides leadership in clinic back-office operations, including patient medical intake, assisting practitioners with medical procedures, minor triage, sterilizing equipment, keeping exam rooms stocked, supporting clinic flow, and testing and reporting laboratory specimen results. The role also provides staff leadership in assessments, referrals, and triage, and performs the regular duties of a Medical Assistant. The Lead Medical Assistant monitors patient flow and clinic schedules, coordinates with front-office staff and providers to assist walk-in patients, and oversees medical supply and medication inventory. Responsibilities include ordering, receiving, tracking, and stocking supplies; reviewing medications and emergency-cart contents monthly for expiration; testing emergency equipment; and maintaining logs. As needed, the role backs up the Lead Vaccine Medical Assistant by managing vaccine inventory and storage under VFC protocols, monitoring and documenting refrigerator and freezer temperatures, tracking expiration dates, rotating inventory, responding to out-of-range temperatures, and implementing the emergency vaccine management plan in coordination with the Vaccine Coordinator. The position ensures equipment is in good working order, performs controls and tests on CLIA-waived point-of-care tests and autoclaves, maintains logs, and reports issues to a supervisor. It provides functional supervision and training to Medical Assistants on workflow, systems, and protocols as directed by a supervisor, and participates in continuous quality improvement through meetings and development of clinic workflows and protocols. The Lead Medical Assistant is expected to support a productive work environment and goal achievement using strategies consistent with the CARE fundamentals of communication. The role requires the ability to administer immunizations and medications, draw blood, use a microscope, provide compassionate care, maintain accurate records and confidentiality, follow oral and written directions, and communicate respectfully with people from varied racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and lifestyles. The employee must maintain effective working relationships, learn clinic routines, and be willing to work with HIV-infected clients. Travel between clinic sites is required.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Medical Assistant certificate.
Two years of experience working as a Medical Assistant.
Proficiency administering immunizations and using the California immunization registry.
Fluent bilingual Spanish/English.
Current CPR certification.
Valid California driver's license and current vehicle insurance; ability to travel between sites.
Ability to administer immunizations, draw blood, use a microscope, and administer medications and injections.
Ability to maintain accurate and neat records, maintain confidentiality, and understand and carry out oral and written directions.
Ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and lifestyles, with sensitivity to their needs.
Ability to maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, clients, community agencies, and the public; learn clinic routines; and willingness to work with HIV-infected clients.
Ability to stand, walk, sit, type, reach, bend, and move, and lift up to 50 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s degree preferred.
Bicultural Spanish/English background preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and assist with clinic back-office operations, including patient intake, medical procedures, minor triage, equipment sterilization, exam-room stocking, and clinic flow.
Test laboratory specimens and report results; maintain the laboratory medical area.
Provide leadership to staff in assessments, referrals, and triage.
Monitor patient flow and clinic schedules and work with front-office staff and providers to assist walk-in patients.
Ensure medical supplies and medications are available; order, receive, stock, and track inventory.
Review medication inventory monthly for expired items, remove them for proper disposal, and reorder as necessary.
Review emergency-cart contents monthly for expired medications, coordinate their removal and replenishment with the Nurse Manager, and test emergency equipment monthly while maintaining logs.
Provide backup to the Lead Vaccine MA as needed by taking physical inventory, ordering, receiving, and storing vaccines according to VFC protocols and standards.
Monitor and record vaccine refrigerator and freezer temperatures daily, follow VFC procedures for out-of-range temperatures, monitor expiration dates, rotate inventory, and ensure expired vaccines are not kept.
Take immediate action for temperatures outside acceptable ranges and coordinate implementation of the emergency vaccines management plan with the Vaccine Coordinator when necessary.
Ensure equipment is in good working order; perform controls and tests on CLIA-waived point-of-care tests and autoclaves and maintain logs.
Report equipment or testing issues to a supervisor.
Provide functional supervision and training to Medical Assistants regarding workflow, systems, and protocols as directed by a supervisor.
Participate in continuous quality improvement meetings and contribute to clinic workflows and protocols.
Support a productive work environment and achievement of goals using practices aligned with the CARE fundamentals of communication.
Administer immunizations, draw blood, use a microscope, administer medications and injections, maintain accurate records and confidentiality, and provide sympathetic care.
Travel between clinic sites as needed.