Medical Assistant Skills For A Resume (With Examples)

Updated 5 March 2023

Medical assistants are healthcare professionals who perform various administrative and clerical tasks to help physicians provide the best patient care. These professionals benefit from developing certain technical and interpersonal skills. Knowing about those skills and how to include them in your resume can help you during your job search. In this article, we explain what medical assistant skills for a resume are, list a few examples, provide steps to improve these skills and explore ways to improve and highlight them during the hiring process.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.

What Are Medical Assistant Skills For A Resume?

Medical assistant skills for a resume are abilities you mention in your resume to show potential employers you can assist physicians in delivering excellent patient care. When applying for a medical assistant job, you can focus on including your clerical and administrative skills to increase your chances of getting hired. For instance, you can mention in your resume that you can prepare exam rooms, schedule appointments and locate files.

Examples Of Medical Assistant Skills For A Resume

Here are some examples of medical assistant skills for a successful career:

Cleanliness and organisation

Maintaining sterile medical equipment is essential for ensuring the safety of patients' health. An employee responsible for handling the hospital file, scheduling appointments and maintaining appointment logs requires excellent organisation skills. These skills help a medical assistant keep the reception area organised and clean when patients arrive. When working as a medical assistant, you might learn the essential steps to keep the medical equipment sterile.

Medical knowledge

Although medical assistants usually do not take part in complex medical procedures, they can benefit from having basic knowledge of medical terminologies. Knowing commonly used medical terms helps these professionals communicate more effectively with patients. It can help guide the patient when they visit the hospital or medical facility premises.

Administrative skills

As a medical assistant, your job role might involve scheduling appointments, answering phone calls and even greeting patients when they arrive at the facility. These professionals might use these administrative skills, such as filing patients' paperwork, presenting critical processes and answering patients' questions. Having excellent administrative skills helps these professionals complete their job duties.

Verbal communication

Another important skill of a medical assistant is the ability to communicate with patients, nurses, doctors and other professionals working in the hospital. These professionals require excellent written communication skills because they might draft emails to patients and business stakeholders and take detailed notes during meetings. As a medical assistant, you might answer phone calls and take client messages. Whether you are using your verbal or written communication skills, ensure to maintain a professional tone.

Time management

Time management is an essential skill for a medical assistant because it helps you arrange your schedule to complete all your work. This is an essential skill because it helps you perform time-sensitive office tasks. As medical assistants complete various clerical tasks, they require time management skills to manage time effectively. Employers expect a medical assistant who can complete tasks reasonably and keep things in the hospital and medical facility.

Computer skills

Many hospitals and medical facilities often maintain digital patient files, making it easier to share information within the hospital setting. These professionals require excellent computer skills to operate medical file systems and make accurate data entries. The ability to use medical and scheduling software is desirable for success as a medical assistant.

Attention to detail

Maintaining an accurate record is a big part of being a medical assistant, it is important for keeping patients healthy. Doctors and nurses need an accurate record of any procedures a patient has gone through or medication they are on so they can give them proper medical treatment. If you have experience in record-keeping and possess strong attention to detail, highlight those on your resume. It can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates.

How To Improve Your Medical Assistant Abilities

Here are a few steps to improve your medical assistant abilities:

1. Consider additional training

One of the most effective ways to improve your medical assistant skills is by enrolling in training programmes. You can earn a diploma or certification in relevant areas. Look for training opportunities offered by hospitals or medical facilities. Many organisations might sponsor training from external sources.

2. Talk with a supervisor or colleague

To improve your skills, ask your colleagues and supervisors to provide constructive feedback regarding areas that require improvement. Gaining feedback from experienced professionals is an excellent way to improve your existing skills and develop new ones. It helps you determine what skills require extra attention.

3. Pursue further education

To improve your skills, focus on pursuing additional education or training. If you have a bachelor's degree, consider pursuing a master's degree and if you earn a diploma, enrol in a bachelor's degree. Improving your understanding of medical software used at the office or learning new ways of maintaining an office are excellent ways to be a more effective medical assistant.

4. Find a mentor

A mentor is an experienced professional with in-depth industry experience. These professionals can guide you to accelerate your career path and provide valuable insights into ways you can improve your skills. By sharing their experiences, a mentor guides you regarding your work duties. Also, they might share helpful tips that allow you to become a better medical assistant.

Medical Assistant Skills In The Workplace

Here are a few ways you can use your medical assistant skills in the workplace:

Show empathy and compassion to patients. When patients experience difficult situations in the workplace, showing empathy can tell patients that they are receiving the best possible care. Being courteous during your interactions with patients can show your dedication to providing optimum patient care.
Use a planner. To ensure you complete all your job duties, utilise a digital or physical planner for your tasks. A planner can help you prioritise tasks based on urgency.
Organise the reception area. The reception area is the first thing patients see upon entering a hospital. To create a positive impression on them, consider maintaining a clean and organised reception area that makes patients feel comfortable.

How To Highlight Your Medical Assistant Skills

When applying for a medical assistant job, showing employers your skills throughout the learning process is essential for getting hired for a desirable role. Here are a few steps to highlight your medical assistant skills on your resume and cover letter and during your interview process:

1. Highlight your skills on your resume

In the skill section of your resume, include a concise list of relevant skills. Include the most important or unique skill set first. This might help employers distinguish you from other candidates. One way to decide what to emphasise in your skill section is to review the job description and include the skills mentioned. Those are the skills that an employer deems essential. You can even ask your friends and managers to talk about your abilities as a medical assistant.

Focus on including your skills in the work experience section of your resume. Use an action verb to describe your skill and how it helped you achieve workplace goals.

2. Mention your skills in your cover letter

Use your cover letter to give details about your qualification and personality. You can even talk about skills you plan to gain from the job description. Include practical examples of how these skills helped you achieve workplace success. It is important to quantify your achievements using measurable metrics like figures and percentages. This is a practical and helpful way to show employers you want to learn and grow as a professional medical assistant.

3. Speak about them in your job interview

Your job interview might be your final opportunity to highlight your medical assistant duties. Before appearing for the interview, think about your most valuable skills and prepare commonly asked interview questions. This helps you answer a skill-based question confidently and quickly. Be mindful of your body language, speak confidently about your experience and skills and listen attentively to what the interviewer tells and asks you.

Examples Of Resume Sections With Medical Assistant Skills

Here is an example of how you can highlight your medical assistant skills in the skills and work experience sections of your resume:

In the skills section

Here is an example of the skills section:

Skills

attention to detail, patient care, patient assessment, time management, strong verbal and written communication, answering phone calls, interacting with patients

In the work experience section

Here is an example of the work experience section:

Work Experience

Medical Assistant, June 2021–April 2022
Vivekananda Seva Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra

Used my computer and technicals skill to keep other medical professionals organised
Kept detailed notes of meetings
Scheduled appointments for different patients