 EXPLORE MEDICAL ASSISTANT
CERTIFICATIONS HERE!
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Medical Assistant Externship: It's All About YOU!
The medical assistant externship is about you! It is an important part of your vocational training and signifies
the point of transition from being a student to becoming a qualified medical assistant. Although most MA students
have some apprehension about their externship, once they start they usually find it to be a very rewarding and much
appreciated experience.
The Externship Begins
When the externship begins it signifies the point where expectations and responsibilities shift from the
instructor to you. You, in your role as a medical assistant program senior, are now expected to perform duties that
were previously taught to you in class. You are also given a chance to refine their skills by interacting with REAL
patients, and join in the doctor's and other health care professional's daily routine.
Show What You Know!
The externship gives you the opportunity to prove your learned medical assistant knowledge and skills by
extending your education to an actual work site. It also lets you show your dependability and professionalism -
time to shine.
 It is your chance, as a student, to put everything that was taught in the classroom to
practical use in a real medical office environment. In
other words: your chance to show what you know and step
up to the task with confidence and pride!!!
Externship Anxiety
Anxiety is a basic human emotion consisting of fear and uncertainty that typically appears when an individual
perceives an event as being a threat to the ego or self-esteem (Sarason, 1988). It creates the feelings of fear,
apprehension, or worry. However, anxiety is normal: It is a common emotion medical assistant students share and has
nothing to do with how they will perform at their externship site.
Setting Up the Externship Site
A good school usually has already established a contact list of possible externship sites within the community
and the teaching staff makes the necessary arrangements to set them up. Their goal is to carefully match medical
assistants students with a suitable externship site. Shortly before the externship the medical assistant student
may be asked to interview with the physician or office manager at the suggested facility. The student is expected
to treat this interview exactly as if it was an actual job interview. Again, this may cause bit of anxiety but it
is an important step in preparation for the highly competitive job market of the "real world".
Performance Evaluation
Performance and attendance are carefully tracked and reported back to the medical assistant student's school.
Attendance and punctuality are indicators of reliability and professionalism. Midway of the externship the student
will be evaluated by the medical office supervisor and will be given a final evaluation on the last day of
completion of hours.
- Professional Expectations
Did you know? Appearance can positively, or negatively influence the opinion one has of the medical assistant, and the overall reputation of the facility.
- Successful MA Externship
Tips for a successful medical assistant externship so that the experiencewill turn out to be rewarding and successful. It is your time to shine...
- Medical Office Technology
New technical and medical developments, discoveries, and devices direct influence the medical assistant's professional duties and responsibilities. Learn what's new...
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