Avoiding Pitfalls

By SCMA On 23/02/2016  

The healthcare industry is rife with complicated terminology, diseases and specializations, long waits and insurance blunders, angry and annoyed patients, and oftentimes, frustrated workers. There are a variety of ways to avoid falling into the pitfalls of back office politics, which can be detrimental to your career and cause job burnout.

The healthcare industry is rife with complicated terminology, diseases and specializations, long waits and insurance blunders, angry and annoyed patients, and oftentimes, frustrated workers. There are a variety of ways to avoid falling into the pitfalls of back office politics, which can be detrimental to your career and cause job burnout.

Never losing sight of the fact that your primary role as a Specialty Certified Medical Assistant -SCMA^® is to assist physicians in providing quality patient care will help you to stay focused on your job. Many experienced medical assistants maintain that keeping organized, ensuring the comfort and care of their patients, and coordinating effectively with the physicians they assist is what keeps them grounded and secure in their day-to-day activities.

Bypass the Brouhaha

Dos and Don'ts to Keep You Honest in the Workplace

• Do put the patient first, making his or her comfort and care your number one priority.
• Do assist the doctor impartially, keeping your own personal feelings to yourself.
• Don't talk about co-workers, physicians, nurses or doctors for referral negatively. It's just a poor reflection on you and the practice to belittle others.
• Don't discuss patients' personal information.
• Do keep up with changes and trends in the healthcare industry in order to be up-to-date on current events.
• Do recertify when necessary. Your education is an important part of your job.
• Don't spread rumors, gossip, or chatter in front of patients. It's rude and disregards patients' feelings.
• Do be informed about legal matters -it could make the difference in your job.
• Do double-check all your work to avoid errors and miscommunication.

Back Office Banter

Nothing annoys folks more than being ignored, left out and talked about. Engaging in back office banter does three things to your practice's reputation: it makes you look unprofessional, contaminating the office dynamic with gossip; the chatter irritates patients, visitors and physicians; and lastly, the blatant disregard for patients' privacy is a clear violation of HIPAA. Seasoned SCMA professionals give this advice: don't do it!

Ignorance Is Never Bliss

Leave Social Media At Home

There's nothing more aggravating than trying to talk to someone who's caught up in the thralls of social media. Checking your texts, facebook and twitter often takes your mind off your job, which is to provide reliable, safe and comforting patient care, and this cannot be done properly if you are preoccupied with other things.

All types of healthcare workers violate HIPAA privacy laws daily by accidentally texting about a patient or occurrence at the office. Besides the many legal complications engaging in social media causes at work, it is also a danger to patients. It increases the chances for data entry errors, misinformation and mislabeling, incorrect prescriptions and testing, and more. It's better to be safe than sorry—put down your phone and look up. 

Keeping the Wheels in Motion

Without the dedication and support of SCMA professionals, the healthcare industry would stall to a grinding halt. You are the wheels that keep the medical train moving forward, comforting patients, organizing the details and assuring that everyone is on board.

Whether you are just considering a career in the field or a skilled veteran of medical assisting, know your vital and important efforts provide essential and valuable service to patients and doctors everywhere. The healthcare community would operate much less effectively and efficiently without your time, your specialized knowledge, and most importantly, your expert care.