It would be interesting if we could share a typical day on the job as an MA, especially for us about to start our externships; we'd love to know what professional skills you used today, how you felt as your externship started and how your responsibilities have increased over time....I'd love to hear about your day!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student cma

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Great idea Maxine!! I'm still about 4-5 months out before I start my externship. I think it would be great to hear how some of you handled your first day on your externship. What emotions you were feeling etc...I'm already getting nervous even though I still have quite aways before I get there.

I'm going out on the 23rd of this month...I will post here when I am done with my first day. I am a little nervous now, but I know I am there to learn and I can't wait to start. Good luck with the rest of the school year.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student cma

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

I've been where I am for four years so I don't know if you're interested or not (def not an extern anymore)...but here's a list

Phlebotomy
Drug screening (urine)
Spirometer testing
EKG's
Injections
Charge entry
Sick calls (not triage, taking info for messages for Docs)
Drug refills per Dr's orders
Setting up tests (MRI, CT, X-ray, Specialist's visits, etc.)
Appointments
BP's
Pulse-Ox
patient rooming
check-in

that's off the top of my head....

Hmmm....I should make more money!....lol....
Typical day in PCP's office.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

You definitely should make more money! It sounds like your days are busy and the time probably goes by fast. Thanks for the info, that's just what I was looking for. I hope you still find your job interesting and challenging as the years have gone on.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student cma

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Although I don't like the "argh....I want to pull my hair out" days, I do like the fact that the time for the most part goes quickly.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

Well, I think the most annoying part of my day is dealing with Rx refills. I've only ever worked in 1 office, a GP, and I hate doing refills. Calling them in is no big, but trying to get the Dr to actually sign off on them is the hassle. Actually working is a lot different then I thought it would be when I was in school. A lot of my friends are in specialty offices, but I really like working general practice because I do a little bit of everything - X-Rays, U/A, EKG, blood draws, vitals, charting, PFTs, nebs, reception, injections, but thankfully no billing. lol

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

Melody,
I hear ya on the refills. We have a refill line and on Mondays, there are probably 40+ refills on it, that's not counting the people who just stop in to get their refills or refuse to leave their refills on the line (pet peeve, c'mon how hard IS it?) Our recording also says that refills left on the line before 4 p.m. will be refilled same day, which is really stupid. Every other offic I know of requires a 24 hour turnaround.

I'm kind of getting bored (not very challenging anymore) there but don't know what else to do. I'd probably make more at a specialist's office but like you, I like the variety where I am...

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

lol lorraine, i would die if a pt would give me 24 hours to call one in. I had a pt today that called me 4 times before noon and then called and asked to speak to our office manager and tried to get me in trouble. and my dr. is hoooorrrriiible about signing off on rx. i need some tips if anyone has any lol

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

uh oh, not looking forward to those refill calls...I'll be ready for the challenge!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: student cma

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? no

Melody,

We have a "sick call" stack of charts from pts who call in during the day with complaints/concerns. If someone's being a PITA with a refill, I just stick it up with the sick calls because the docs do try and keep up with the sick calls.

I like the ones that call and say "Well, I left it on the refill line an hour ago and I'm coming into town now, I really don't want to have to make another trip." Um...poor planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine. First off, if it's not a maintenence drug, is it something you take off and on? Is it a narcotic? Is it even due to be refilled? We had one that takes adderall and she thought we should just "know" that it needs written every month and have it sitting waiting for her...hehe. NOT. Or the ones that want refills on pain meds because it's a pain for them to have to call in once a month for them. ......NOT again. We have one guy who was non-compliant with his meds so he has to call every week and he only gets a weeks script at a time. He called the other day griping that it costs him more that way....too bad too sad, should have been compliant with your meds!

Okay, rant over....

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

I do not miss my PCP position at all! Those narc. Rx's made me crazy. When I interviewed with the specialist I currently work with, one of the 1st things he said was regarding narcotics and that they don't give them. I was thinking, sign me up! I would also like to add how great the 90 day supply meds are. The pts don't bug us for a whole year for refills.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? n

Are You Working? y

The office I worked at before going back to school changed their policy that all medications must go through the pharmacy...call the pharmacy and request a refill. No more notes on charts from people requesting meds to the office over the phone, and not more call in refills; if it is a new drug them the patient gets a written Rx.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CCMA-C, CLD

Are You Still In School? Nursing school (BSN)

Are You Working? Self employed certified birth doula

Rena,

What kind of specialist's office are you in? I keep thinking about moving on. I'm kind of bored where I am, but it's also very comfortable there if that makes any sense...

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

Heartsopenwide,

I don't know if that would help us or not. We already have a ton of fax requests coming in from the pharmacies. It's just as much of a pain to do scripts via fax. Instead of the pts calling, it'd just be the pharmacies...

Our patients can't even figure out how to use the refill line. I can't even imagine trying to explain to them that they can't call us for refills anymore. They'd be calling 10 times a day to see if we'd heard from the pharmacy yet...."I called them an HOUR ago!"

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

OMG lol don't even get me started on the narc refills. I hate hate hate them. I had a pt call me up - here is the conversation

Pt - I need a refill
Mel - Ok what is your name and what do you need
Pt - My name is Pt X and I don't remember the name of the med, but the ER gave it to me last night, it was called Diladoo lid or something like that
Mel - so Dr X has never written this for you
Pt - nope
Mel - and what was the med? (At this point I just want to hear him say it again)
Pt - Dil a doo lid
Mel - YOu're going to have to come in

All the while in my head I'm screaming - you know what the freaking pill is called. You desperately want it, you called in for oxys last month and called them oxycorizone. You are not fooling anyone. Sorry for the rant lol

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? yes

Lol...too funny. Like the ones who think you can't count the days in February...(30 day script given on Feb. 13th won't be due until March 15th)...

Yeah, we have some who seem barely coherent on the phone wanting refills of narcs. We have one doc who drug screens EVERYONE....and they STILL tell you "Oh, that must be wrong. I've NEVER taken *drug name*."

Seriously makes you VERY cautious on the roads when you know what these people take and go out on the roads...

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

Lorraine,
I work in nephrology now. The only thing I miss about working primary medicine are the med samples. Especially vitamin V for DH.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? n

Are You Working? y

haha, took me a minute to register that. Do you like working for a specialist? Do you do any procedures/tests in the office?

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

Melody,
Too funny! Have you ever heard this one? "I need you to send my prescription to another pharmacy because I never picked it up." Uh huh.
We finally gotthis one guy to get drug screened and when confronted with a positive result for cocaine his response was, "That's because my girlfriend laced my pot with it! She's a great girl but I can't trust her." You can't make this stuff up!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? n

Are You Working? y

No procedures or tests. I am so done with patients blowing on me for PFT's and scrubbing adhesive off of feet for nerve conduction studies. Not to mention trying to teach people how to walk on a treadmill for stress tests. I mean, really. Have ya never exerted yourself before?
What I love about nephrology is learning all the ways kidneys regulate the body. Kidney disease effects bones, B/P, anemia, electrolytes as well as kidney function. I love learning!

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? n

Are You Working? y

Yeah, we just recently started doing spirometry testing. What should take a few minutes takes much longer due to the pts inability to follow directions. Time that you just don't have in an office as busy as we are. One doc sees 4-6 pts an hour. The other sees 3 on the hour 1 on the quarter hour 2 on the half hour and another at 45 min. so 7 an hour. Usually one girl on the floor with one back up. Can you say insane? Plus we do pulse ox's, pft's, ekg's, blood draws and urine dips while all this is going on.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: CMA

Are You Still In School? no

Are You Working? Yes

Maybe it's time to look into making more money for less 'running'. Your resume will pop with all the experience you have in your PCP office. I heard a tip on Monster that an employee can use a dentist appt to go on interviews. First there's the exam, then another appt. for a repair, etc.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA

Are You Still In School? n

Are You Working? y