Orthopedic Medical Assistant Job Description Example

By | August 31, 2023
Orthopedic Medical Assistant job description, duties, tasks, and responsibilities
Orthopedic Medical Assistants perform various tasks, including administrative and clinical duties in support of the orthopedist’s work. Image source: sosmed.org

Orthopedic Medical Assistant Job Description Example

An orthopedic medical assistant is a practitioner who assists the orthopedist in administering treatment to patients and performs some administrative duties in an orthopedic clinic.

The orthopedic medical assistant job description entails bandaging patients’ wounds, applying splints, and giving them medications.

Medical assistants to orthopedists conduct interviews with patients to get information about their current health status and their health history, taking this information into consideration in administering treatment to them.

To get a positive response from patients, assistants need to warm up to them and ask the right questions. They must be professional in their interviews and avoid asking irrelevant questions as this could make patients feel uncomfortable.

As part of treatment measures, the assistant’s role also includes educating patients about musculoskeletal injuries, effects, control and treatment.

He/she will also prepare patients for hospital procedures like x-ray, enlightening them of the importance of the procedures to their treatment.

Their duties also include helping patients to regain movement by performing range-of-motion tests to determine the nature of injury and working with them on specific muscle movement exercises.

In preparing patients for treatment, the medical assistant on orthopedic is responsible for taking pre-treatment measures by checking vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, and sugar level to get accurate data about their present state of health for proper diagnosis.

He/she will also collect blood fluid specimens for testing in the laboratory as part of diagnostic measures to ensure effective treatment of patients.

Orthopedic Medical Assistant Job Description Example

Here is an example of an orthopedic medical assistant’s job description, detailing the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that make up their daily activities at work.

  • Prepare patients for examination, escort them to the treatment room and be present during examination/treatment to assist the physician in treatment procedures
  • Answer incoming telephone calls, greet patients, entertain inquiries, and facilitate correspondence with regards to their treatment in the clinic
  • Liaise with the orthopedist in booking patients’ appointments in line with their schedule to facilitate smooth flow of operations
  • Collect results of patients’ tests from the laboratory, sort them out and make them available to the orthopedist before he/she attends to patients
  • Record medical histories and vital signs of patients by carrying out proper checkup on them before consultation with the physician
  • Sterilize equipment before and after treatment and properly dispose used containers and items to avoid infection
  • Supervise drug refills and place supply orders as directed by the orthopedist, and inspect delivered items for durability to avoid the use of substandard or expired products
  • Explain medication instruction to patients based on orthopedist’s prescription and advice them on special diets to fasten their recovery
  • Fill insurance information, inspect insurance authorizations and provide officials with accurate information of patients’ health
  • Clean the treatment room to avoid infection, and get it ready after use for the treatment of other patients
  • Create and fill patients’ chart with relevant and current information about their health condition, and update chart with changes and progress in patients’ health
  • Monitor patients’ recovery process, inform the orthopedist of observations, and recommend changes in unresponsive treatment techniques
  • Maintain communication with patients after treatment to monitor their progress and suggest continuous treatment in the event of a relapse

Orthopedic Medical Assistant Resume Preparation

A resume has different sections, including the professional experience section to complete.

To write a resume for the position of orthopedic medical assistant, the work activities highlighted in the sample job description provided above can be used in making the professional experience section of it.

Requirements – Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities – for the Post of Orthopedic Medical Assistant

Here is a list of commonly required skills, knowledge, and abilities by employers when screening candidates for the job of medical assistant to orthopedists:

  • Orthopedic knowledge: To be eligible for this job, applicants must have knowledge of the practice, obtained through formal education and licensing
  • Computer skills: The ability to use Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel programs is required in entering patients health chart and demographic in the computer system for record keeping
  • Interpersonal skills: The ability to communicate and relate with patients as they enter the clinic is important to get along with them during treatment
  • Good temperament: The ability to maintain good temperament and to avoid anger in dealing with patients is essential to be effective on the job.