Is Medical Assisting the Same as CNA?

For people interested in entering the health care sector, it can be difficult to figure out exactly where you'll fit in. There are so many potential positions that some of them may start to blur together in the eyes of a layperson. For example, what is the difference between a CNA (certified nursing assistant) and a medical assistant?

Some of their duties are similar, but there are enough key differences in these roles to make medical assisting a completely separate category all its own. Read on to learn more about what distinguishes the two from each other and what kind of person makes a good medical assistant.

What Does a CNA Do?

A CNA's work is very hands-on. This makes sense, since nurses already handle most of the day-to-day aspects of patient care and CNAs are meant to facilitate them. These workers do most of their job with frail or handicapped patients, feeding, bathing and dressing them as well as periodically turning them over.

If a patient needs to be moved for a test or procedure, the CNA will probably be the person doing it. They do also handle some aspects of recording and charting as they relate to the other duties they perform, but overall, a CNA's main role is to provide physical assistance to patients and to keep their individual recovery progress on track.

What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

A medical assistant, on the other hand, is as much an administrator as a front-line health care professional. They're responsible for some of the same kinds of things as a CNA, such as helping doctors perform examinations, collecting samples for testing, and sterilizing the equipment and environment.

However, because they work primarily with doctors instead of nurses, they are also responsible for much more record-keeping and patient coordination. These workers handle billing, insurance information and appointment logistics, and even give some basic medical explanations to patients regarding tests and treatments.

If you're detail-oriented and organized, you'll have no trouble with the administrative aspects of the job. For the patient-facing parts, you'll need empathy and warmth. If you have all of these qualities, you might have a bright future in this field.

Why Choose Medical Assisting?

There are many reasons why someone might gravitate toward medical assisting specifically. Instead of giving their whole focus to the patient in front of them, medical assistants are often switching tasks and dealing with several problems at once; the work is largely routine, but it's rarely boring.

Whereas CNAs are known to frequently suffer from workplace injuries due to the highly physical nature of their work, medical assistants get to leave most of the heavy lifting to others. Medical assistants also do not have as much intimate contact with their patients, which is good for people who want to contribute to the health care sector but have trouble with intensely demanding socialization.

Medical assisting can be a very flexible position in terms of work environment; wherever doctors are working, you can work too. This includes everything from private practices and clinics to hospitals and elder care centers. 

Getting Training: Why You Need to Go to School

While there is no strict licensing requirement for medical assistants like there is for, say, nurses, obtaining a proper education in the field is an important first step to take. Because a medical assistant deals with a lot of information that must be kept accurate, precise, and organized, it is absolutely critical that they be formally educated.

So much can go wrong within the scope of their duties that it's unconscionable to take any chances. The slightest mistake on a patient's chart, for instance, could result in them being treated for the wrong condition. Inaccurate insurance paperwork could make it difficult or impossible for the medical establishment to collect the funds it is owed.

Even just answering a phone call the wrong way could put a patient's sensitive medical information at risk. Learning how to do all these things from an expert before you're actually expected to perform any duties is vital to ensuring that patients never suffer from a worker's lack of experience.

Are you interested in a future as a medical assistant? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Health Science with an Emphasis in Medical Assisting, consider ECPI University for the education you will need for to make a difference. For more information, connect with a knowledgeable admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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