Kristie Reicha, CMA, served in family practice care as a Certified Medical Assistant for more than 14 years. She filled her days with top notch, personal, patient care — from seeing patients to their treatment rooms, to lab work and results, to follow-up care. Kristie shared that one of her favorite parts of being a medical assistant is getting to know whole families.
“One day, you have a female patient, then she becomes a mom and before long she may be bringing her children to the practice… then one day, her own parent. You get to meet so many people and care for so many families.”
What are the duties of a Certified Medical Assistant?
A Certified Medical Assistant can find themselves with both clinical and clerical duties. Certified Medical Assistant Training programs, completed in as little as 6 months, prepare aspiring Medical Assistants to conduct thorough patient medical histories, collect and prepare lab tests and specimens, and perform suture removals or dressing changes. Clerical duties may include filing patient records, managing patient schedules, or completing insurance forms and billing.
“There is a lot of learning that goes into the medical assistant role — you learn quite a bit, about a lot of different things,” Kristie says.
Can a Certified Medical Assistant have other roles?
After many wonderful years in her role as a Certified Medical Assistant, Kristie found herself at a career crossroads. The patient and people skills she had acquired as a medical assistant, as well as her strong, well-rounded knowledge of the practice, set Kristie on a great path for growth.
Kristie was promoted into a leadership role as the Clinic Coordinator for the practice, a role she finds both challenging and rewarding. Charged with enhancing Munson Healthcare’s continuum of care, Kristie also manages the inventory of supplies, ensures her team has a full and effective schedule, and assists Medical Assistants in cross-training for other duties and to work with each of the medical providers on the team.
For Kristie, the Medical Assistant role provided the ideal foundation on which to grow her career.
“I am continually working to ensure positive relationships among our team as well as with our patients. I am lucky to be learning every day and grateful to be helping others to learn as well. I am in a good place here and know that I am part of a great community.”
Getting started in a career as a Certified Medical Assistant
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