Medical Assistants (MA’s) work in the offices of physicians, chiropractors, podiatrists, and other healthcare practitioners performing clinical and administrative tasks. An MA’s duties vary from one office to another, depending upon the practitioner’s specialty, the location, and the size of the practice. In small practices MA’s in scrubs clothing perform more varied tasks, handling both clinical and administrative duties; whereas in large practices they tend to specialize in one or a few areas – either clinical or administrative. In any case MA’s report to office managers, department supervisors, or the supervising physician.

Administrative medical assistants are responsible for updating and filing patients’ records, for filling out insurance forms, and for arranging laboratory services and hospital admissions. They also are charged with answering telephones, handling correspondence, greeting patients, scheduling appointments, and handling bookkeeping and billing. The duties of clinical medical assistants vary according to state law. They are responsible for taking patients’ medical histories, recording vital signs, preparing patients for examinations, assisting the physicians during examinations and explaining treatment procedures to the patients. MA’s in Dickies scrubs also prepare laboratory specimens and perform basic lab tests, sterilize medical equipment, and dispose of contaminated medical supplies. They also instruct patients about diets and medications, administer medications, draw blood, take electrocardiograms, change dressings, remove sutures, telephone prescriptions to pharmacies and authorize drug refills. Medical assistants also keep the examining rooms clean, arrange equipment and instruments, and purchase equipment and supplies.

Depending upon the office and supervising physician, medical assistants can have specialized duties. Ophthalmic MA’s assist ophthalmologists in providing eye care such as measuring and recording vision, conducting diagnostic tests such as testing eye muscle function, applying eye dressings, and teaching patients how to insert and care for contact lenses. Podiatric MA’s take and develop x-rays, make castings of patients’ feet, and assist podiatrists during surgery. Practically all MA’s have a high school diploma; however there are no legal educational or training requirements for the job. Although many medial assistants receive their training on the job, others complete a one or two year program given at a vocational-technical high school, or a junior or community college. These programs result in a diploma for a one-year course or an associate degree for a two-year course.

The instruction covers physiology, anatomy and medical terminology as well as accounting, recordkeeping, keyboarding, and insurance processing. Students in scrub tops also learn laboratory technique, diagnostic and clinical procedure, principles of pharmacology, first aid, and administration of medication. Included in the course are patient relations, office practices, medical law, and medical ethics. MA programs usually also include internships which provide practical experience in a physician’s office or other healthcare facility. There are two national accrediting bodies which accredit MA programs. However, formal training and certification are not required, and many MA’s are trained on the job by attending training sessions and by working under the supervision of experienced coworkers.

Being overweight is not only an adult issue but many children and teens are troubled with this frustration. With children the matter is better handled by their parents but teenagers are likely to attempt weight loss without the advice of an adult. This can result in eating disorders and or other health problems. It is best if loving adults help their teens lose weight.

Losing weight as a teen is far different from losing weight as an adult. Weight loss in a teen depends on their age, the metabolic rate, their eating habits, as well as the type of lifestyle they lead. Losing weight is often easier for teens than for adults. This can be attributed to the fact that a younger body typically burns calories more efficiently and faster. Additionally, many teens are more active than the typical adult; they enjoy doing exercise, walking, jogging or participating in some form of sport.

These types of exercises will only help to boost the metabolism of a teenager, and also increase the amount of calories that they burn. If a teen is not interested in sports he may find that spending time walking or gardening is more to the liking. Other options are finding chores that require a little physical activity or spending playful time with the family dog.

Because teens, perhaps even more than adults, want to see immediate results when they begin a diet plan, using a fad diet for a very short period of time may be a good start. If this is done the teen should not use the diet for more than a week. It is widely accepted that fad diets can be detrimental to the health of the user so it is never advisable to use such a diet for long periods of time. After about a week of using a fad diet, they should then continue on a much more healthy diet regime, and one which allows them to lose weight more slowly (which is the best way to lose weight healthily).

When on a diet, a teen should also lead a more active kind of life; they can do this by exercising whenever possible, or participate in some sporting activity. This is especially important for teenagers, as they are still growing, and therefore their body requires additional food just as it requires extra rest. Exercise helps to remove some of the extra calories they are gaining from the extra food they are eating.

Teens that are involved in sports often report that they have an increased social circle, which results in more variety to their life, and that equals more fun and more activities. It’s a win-win situation. The pleasure these teens enjoy means that there is a reduction in their fatigue and frustration. All the while they are getting more and more fit and building more stamina.

Learning about your metabolic rate will help you to understand how your body uses calories. The more you learn about this process the easier it will be for you to work with your metabolism to burn calories more efficiently.