Along with other office duties, they may transcribe dictation and handle the bookkeeping and billing. Medical secretaries and medical receptionists also perform administrative tasks in medical offices, but, unlike medical assistants, they rarely have clinical duties. Medical assistants employed in hospitals or outpatient facilities, like those who work in practitioners' offices, perform a variety of tasks. For instance, they may assist physicians in emergency departments by providing direct care to patients. In addition, they may process paperwork without the direct supervision of a physician, for example, in the admissions or medical records departments.
Medical assistants known as Ophthalmic medical assistants help ophthalmologists to care for eyes.
They take medical histories, use precision instruments to administer diagnostic tests, measure eyes, and test eye functioning. At times, they provide technical assistance to ophthalmologists during eye surgery. These workers change eye dressings, administer eye drops or oral medications, and teach patients how to insert, remove, and care for contact lenses. Sometimes, they may help ophthalmologists dispense eyeglasses and contact lenses. Among their other duties are caring for and maintaining optical and surgical instruments.