Ambulatory Float Pool Medical Assistant Student

Beth Israel Lahey Health•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Medical Assistant Student supports smooth and efficient ambulatory practice operations and contributes to BIDMC’s commitment to providing extraordinary care. The role includes medical assisting and administrative tasks such as greeting, checking in, and scheduling patients, as well as communicating courteously with patients, employees, and the public. The student may assist patients with physical or psychological limitations with ambulation and patient care functions. The student receives several weeks of didactic instruction followed by hands-on training in an ambulatory practice with an assigned preceptor. The preceptor and/or supervisor determines when the student is ready to perform patient care responsibilities independently, based on periodic competency assessments. Duties are performed under supervision and within the limits of the student role; the student is not authorized to perform licensed personnel duties such as medication administration, drawing up medications, or flushing IVs. The position requires regular, close, hands-on contact with patients across age groups from birth through older adulthood. Work is generally at an average pace with intermittent breaks and consistent routines, but requires judgment in response to events. The job is physical in nature, involves standing or moving for most of the shift, and may require exerting up to 50 pounds occasionally or up to 20 pounds frequently. The stated base hourly pay range is $19.00–$19.00. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires staff to be vaccinated against influenza as a condition of employment.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Basic familiarity with computers.
Ability to navigate web-based applications at a basic level.
Ability to read and write English to understand basic safety instructions, follow supervisors’ directions, communicate effectively with patients, families, and medical center staff, and respond to basic questions.
Ability to comprehend and converse in English to communicate effectively with medical center staff, patients, families, and external customers.
Ability to make decisions based on specific instructions, standard practices, and established procedures, generally with little or no supervision.
Ability to address routine, repetitive problems by following directions and procedures and identify opportunities for process improvements.
Ability to follow general instructions and procedures; work is monitored by a supervisor or manager.
Working knowledge of standard concepts, practices, procedures, and policies, and ability to apply them in varied situations.
Ability to collaborate in small teams, offer ideas, identify issues, and respect team members.
Ability to provide professional, respectful, service-oriented customer service using active listening and problem-solving skills, and remain calm in stressful situations.
Competence to provide patient care to neonatal patients (birth to 6 months), youth (6 months to 16 years), young adults (16–30 years), middle-aged adults (30–60 years), and elderly patients (60 and over).
Ability to exert up to 50 pounds occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently.
Ability to stand and/or move around for most of the shift; the job requires endurance for up to 2 hours without a break, frequent walking and standing, and frequent neck bending and twisting.
Ability to meet sensory requirements including close work, color vision/perception, visual monotony, visual clarity beyond 20 feet and at unspecified distances, conversation, equipment monitoring, telephone use, and working with background noise.
Must meet Beth Israel Lahey Health’s influenza vaccination condition of employment.

Responsibilities

Perform medical assisting duties, including taking vital signs, height and weight, performing EKGs and phlebotomy, and assisting with routine procedures.
Keep patient care areas clean, organized, stocked, and ready for patient use.
Escort patients to ancillary service areas such as radiology and the laboratory as needed.
Perform point-of-care testing, including laboratory tests and specimen collection.
Apply quality control standards to support proper functioning and accuracy of testing equipment.
Provide patients with relevant instructions for specific tests and procedures.
Monitor, order, and/or maintain medical equipment and supplies, ensuring they are clean, sterilized, stocked, and within expiration dates.
Perform an initial review of medication lists in the electronic medical record for final review by licensed practitioners.
Retrieve Schedule VI and over-the-counter medications only when supervised by licensed providers; do not perform licensed personnel duties such as drawing up medications, administering medication, or flushing IVs.
Use the electronic medical record system (OMR) to queue prescription renewals for review by a licensed provider.
Enter or scribe orders for tests, services, or appointments in OMR as directed by a clinician.
Document completed tasks accurately in OMR during visits to support proper billing through the Facility Worksheet.
Prepare schedules, patient charts, and other documents for clinical activities in accordance with Medical Center standards.
Procure and correlate medical correspondence as directed by the department.
Monitor patients and visitors entering, waiting in, and leaving the practice.
Facilitate timely patient flow and inform patients and providers about delays.
Act as a liaison between patients and practice staff to support optimal flow and service delivery.
Organize and stock waiting-room materials as directed by the department.
Answer and screen telephone calls as needed.
Greet, check in, and schedule patients and communicate courteously with patients, employees, and the public.
Assist patients with physical or psychological limitations with ambulation and patient care functions.
Complete didactic instruction and hands-on training with an assigned preceptor, and demonstrate competency through periodic skill assessments.