Will You Practice on Real Patients in Medical Assistant School?

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One of the best parts of Medical Assistant School is when you get to practice the skills you’ve learned on real patients at a real medical facility. At the start of your Medical Assistant training, you learn what a Medical Assistant does and how to perform the tasks of the job. You practice on simulators, fellow students, and teachers. And then you get to practice your skills on actual patients!

Learn Medical Assisting in the Classroom Before You Practice on Real Patients

Medical Assistant programs help you build skills in a linear fashion. Your training begins with the classroom and online lessons that introduce you to the basics of medical terminology, concepts of patient care, and the state and federal rules that govern healthcare compliance. You also learn how to handle patient emergencies, dress minor wounds, and perform the fundamentals of billing, coding, and health record management.

Test Your Medical Assisting Skills in the Lab

Before you work with actual patients, you use simulations in school to learn and practice what you need to know as a Medical Assistant. From injection training arms to full-scale medical manikins, there are tools that allow you to improve your skills. Some of the simulation activities include:

  • Intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intradermal injections
  • Blood draws on artificial veins
  • EGK lead placements
  • Blood pressure, temperature, and blood oxygen training
  • Specimen collection
  • Exam room simulations

As you progress through your program, you move from simulators to humans in the classroom, such as your fellow students or instructor. This lab training is invaluable to teach you proper infection control and safety procedures. You gain experience working on real people while your instructor provides guidance and feedback.

Develop and Practice Your Medical Assisting Skills

Practice helps you build the skills, confidence, and judgment you need before you can care for actual patients. It allows you to make mistakes, receive feedback, and improve your technique in a safe environment before you enter a real healthcare setting. With plenty of practice, you:

  • Develop muscle memory
  • Build confidence
  • Improve accuracy
  • Learn proper bedside manner
  • Develop critical thinking
  • Reduce the risk of errors

Meet Minimum Requirements to Begin Your Medical Assistant Externship

Before you can enter a healthcare facility to begin your externship, you must:

  • Undergo a background check
  • Provide proof of:
    • Hepatitis B vaccination series
    • TB screening completed within the past year
    • COVID-19 vaccination for if you live in California or Washington

Prove You’re Qualified to Work with Real Patients

To start your externship, you need to satisfy the academic requirements of your Medical Assistant School. You may also need to prove your knowledge in front of the lead instructor for your program and successfully demonstrate program competencies through a skills/pre-clinical check-off process. You may also need to provide an updated resume and complete a non-disclosure agreement if required by the externship site.

Gain Hands-On Experience Through a Medical Assistant Externship

Your Medical Assistant externship is, in some ways, your first job in the field. You work at a local medical facility under the supervision of professional Medical Assistants or other clinical staff. You’re treated like a member of the team and are expected to practice everything you learned in the classroom and laboratory, from prepping exam rooms to handing off tools to the doctor during a procedure. In this setting, you work with real patients instead of just your peers, and you have the opportunity to truly test your knowledge. During your first week or two, you may be asked to observe the Medical Assistants as they interact with patients. But eventually, you perform the responsibilities of a Medical Assistant.

Tips When Working with Patients During Medical Assistant Externship

Here are some tips on how to work with real patients:

  • Greet Them Warmly – Greet your patients with a smile as you call them back to the exam room. Introduce yourself and explain that you are a Medical Assistant student working with the clinical staff. Transparency builds trust and good relationships with patients.
  • Listen More Than Talk – You may not realize it, but patients are often just as nervous as you are. Show that you have compassion by listening to them. Give them your full attention without interrupting. Ask open-ended questions to better understand their concerns and ask if they have any questions for you. Be sure to communicate clearly, without the use of medical terms they might not understand.
  • Explain Each Step – As you measure vital signs, position a patient for an exam, or prep an EKG, explain each step as you go. This helps your patient know what to expect and helps build trust between you and the patient.

Working with real patients helps build your confidence and prepares you for your first job as a Medical Assistant. Are you ready to train to be a Medical Assistant and work with real patients? Charter College offers a Certificate in Medical Assistant that includes a clinical externship and can be completed in as few as 10 months. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.