Medical Assistant; Mohs

SECTION 1:

Job Summary (Summary of the basic functions of the position)
The Mohs Medical/Surgical Assistant is to provide assistance to the licensed-medical doctor in multiple settings including the clinic and outpatient surgical settings. They are to provide safe, knowledgeable,compassionate individualized care to all patients. Responsible for the following, based on the needs of the organization:

SECTION 2:
Duties and Responsibilities (Responsibilities necessary to accomplish job functions)
Serve as a patient advocate during patient exam, surgery and treatment

Interview surgery patients to obtain medical information

Measure patients’ vital signs, weight and height

Show patients to examination rooms, procedure rooms or operative rooms, and prepare them for the physician

Review a surgical informed consent with the patient prior to their procedure

Record patients’ medical history, medications, allergies, vital signs and test results in an Electronic Health Record (EHR)
Set up a sterile surgical tray Inspect sterile items prior to opening

Open sterile surgical items in a sterile fashion

Lay supplies out on sterile field in an organized manner

Place surgical gloves on hands using sterile technique

Assist the physician during surgery while maintaining sterile field:

Blot with gauze when needed

Under surgeon direction, use skin hooks to gently retract skin while surgeon undermines or uses cautery device

Use forceps to hold suture line away from field or to help hold suture line tip in place to assist surgeon during knot placement

Use scissors to clip suture at various lengths depending on placement of knot (epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat, etc.)Assist surgeon during cauterization

Know the difference between thermal cautery and electrocautery, and which one is preferable in various patient situations so the correct device can be prepared in a clean/sterile fashion

Properly numb a patient’s skin using local anesthetics as directed by the physician

Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician following safety protocol of right dose, right patient, right route, right drug and noting expiration date Collect blood, tissue or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing

Explain surgical/treatment procedures, medications, diets

Explain wound care instructions and physicians’ instructions to patients

Explain and comfort patients with regards to expected healing times for various types of wounds and locations (i.e., know that flaps/grafts take longer to heal than regular excisions and have slightly higher complication rates, know that wounds on the lower extremities may take longer to heal than wounds on the face or upper body, etc.)Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments and materials or performing such tasks as giving injections and removing sutures

Accept triage style phone calls from patients and know which situations require the patient to be seen vs being able to counsel the patient over the phone. Know to ask the surgeon if there is ever any doubt.

Under physician direction, authorize drug refills, enter prescription information into the EHR, and provide prescription information to pharmacies

Know how to clean surgical instruments, wrap them in sterile packs, and place them in an autoclave

Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms organized, neat, and clean

Assess the patient’s condition throughout the exam, procedure or surgery according to the facility’s policies and notify physician and/or RN of any indication of distress

Responsible for cleaning room and medical equipment in between each patient and at the end of the day Correctly disposes of infection waste and biohazard materials

Schedule appointments for…