What are the two major areas of medical assisting practice?

Clinical medical assisting

* Taking patients' vital signs, such as blood pressure, temperature, and pulse

* Recording patients' medical histories

* Preparing patients for examinations and procedures

* Administering medications as directed by the physician

* Monitoring patients' conditions after surgical procedures or medical therapies

* Performing basic laboratory tests

* Communicating with physicians and other health care professionals about patients' conditions

Administrative medical assisting

* Scheduling appointments

* Handling patient files and records

* Answering the telephone and greeting patients

* Managing insurance claims

* Billing patients for services

* Handling correspondence

* Performing administrative tasks, such as word processing and data entry