Medical Assistant, Lead - La Clinica de La Raza

Who we are: La Clínica de La Raza is a community-based health center committed to providing culturally appropriate, high-quality, and accessible health care to the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. We have spent over 40 years advocating for and creating a health home for the many that have been denied access to care. As health care activists, we are dedicated to making sure individuals who do not have health coverage get the same level of quality healthcare as those who have it. From our genesis as a community health center in 1971, we understood that we cannot heal our communities without also addressing the economic and social factors that affect health. Many times, this requires that we go outside and provide services in other settings to build the bridge that links individuals to our health center for preventive and primary care. Over 90,000 individuals come to La Clínica because it is a welcoming place that addresses the whole person, coordinating and connecting them to a broad network of services to improve and maintain their health and well-being. While we are still known for our activism and spirit of social justice, we are also proud to have grown into a sophisticated provider of primary health care services with 35 sites across Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties.

Be part of an excellent care team:  We are looking for Medical Assistants who are inspired to deliver a great experience to our patients and who want to play an important role in patient-centered care by performing at the top of their scope of practice.  At La Clínica, you will be challenged to be exceptionally accurate, observant and an efficient overseer while at the same time providing a human touch and an excellent overall patient experience.  Many people excel at one of these areas, but it takes someone with a special combination of skills and character to do both. To be successful, you need to enjoy interacting with all kinds of different people, to feel energized by a fast paced clinic environment, and remain cool under pressure even when serving a person who is upset, disrespectful or impatient.  You should have a successful history of being responsible, reliable and capable of solving problems while being friendly and helpful in looking for ways to support other care team members. 

Position Summary:  The Lead Medical Assistant (LMA) is required to perform all duties of the Medical Assistant and functions as the resource person to the non-licensed staff. The LMA helps ensure efficient patient flow and quality care during clinic hours by providing guidance and directing the work of non-licensed staff within the unit. The LMA works as part of a health care team including physicians, NP/PA’s, patient services representatives, medical records, medical assistants, health educators and social workers to provide comprehensive care.

Major Areas of Responsibility include but are not limited to:

Triage/Coordination

• In conjunction with section Manager the individual is responsible for the overall coordination of the medical assistant activities in the section. The lead medical assistant; assists, advises and orients medical assistants with the overall objective of ensuring a smooth clinic flow and completion of follow-up paper-work.
• Lends a hand in the day-to-day M.A. functions as necessary, directing patient flow of regular appointments and drop-in patients from triage in order to meet section goals, setting an example, and facilitating the work day.
• Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; serves as a key resource for the section in the development and maintenance of a team approach to the provision of patient care services and clinic flow.
• Assess staffing needs, maintains medical assistants schedule on a weekly basis, participates in the hiring of new staff and provides orientation to new employees.

Training

• Assures that M.A. staff is appropriately oriented to clinic procedures. This includes revising and updating medical assistant handbook, ensuring rooms are properly stocked, teaching M.A.’s how to anticipate medical provider needs and keeping them on schedule, scheduling in-services, encouraging outside training.
• Other duties as assigned by the section Manager and the Associate Medical Director

Commitment to Quality

• Works on quality improvement projects related to the section, participate in medical department meetings, and works with other administrators as required.
• Takes the lead in handling patient complaints regarding medical assistant
• Responsible for pro-active trouble shooting in the section; printing and reviewing provider schedules, make corrections when necessary, overseeing appointments, rescheduling when providers call in sick, assist MA’s, medical records and the front desk areas as needed

Patient Care

• Prepare treatment rooms and set up medical laboratory equipment.
• Verify purpose of visit with the patient and record medical history in the Electronic Health Record system (EHR).
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality regarding patient information.
• Administer health questionnaires.
• Prepare patients for examination by performing preliminary physical tests and taking vital signs.
• Effectively communicate request from patients to provider or care team members.
• Perform routine medical tasks and procedures, including vision tests, urine dipstick tests, pregnancy tests, basic hearing tests, blood glucose testing, site of care hemoglobin A1C testing, sputum collections, oral HIV tests, and non-invasive specimen collection.
• Collect finger stick blood specimens and assist in the collection of tissue or other laboratory specimens: log the specimens and prepare them for testing.
• Conduct specialized procedures under the direction of a clinician such as nebulizer treatments, spirometry, suture removal and wound-care.
• Coordinate patient flow to maximize patient access and service.
• Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
• Explain and/or translate treatment procedures, medications, diets, or providers’ instructions to patients.
• Schedule follow-up appointment or recall appointment after visit.
• Help providers examine and treat patients.
• Prepare and administer medications and injections as directed by a provider.
• Provide prescription information to pharmacies, as directed by a provider.
• Actively participate in panel management and population health practices and software tools.
• Complete and review information at end of patient visit.
• Administer immunizations, document in EHR, and other electronic tracking systems.
• Ensure that all logs, forms, records, and charts are complete, thorough, and accurate.
• Provide patient education and follow-up care instructions as instructed by provider.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of medical terminology and working knowledge of general outpatient care and clinic flow.
• Ability to work independently and with a team approach exercising independent judgment in evaluating situations, rendering decisions and leading teams. Ability to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner gather and analyze information skillfully.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality regarding patient information.
• Able to have flexible schedule to participate in Saturday clinic rotation as well as the evening clinic as needed.
• Ability to manage competing demands, able to deal with frequent changes, delays or unexpected events and ensuring work responsibilities are covered when absent.
• Ability to exhibit objectivity and openness to other’ views, gives and welcomes feedback and contribute to building a positive team spirit in order to function effectively in a position that involves continuous movement.
• Ability to communicate well and interact with staff and clients in professional and productive ways

Minimum Job Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent required.
•  One year of experience in a healthcare delivery setting or 6 months experience as a Medical Assistant at La Clinica required.
•  Completion of a nationally accredited Medical Assistant Program.
•  CPR certification within 6 months of hire.
• Phlebotomy Certification
•  Health clearances and immunization records required of all healthcare professionals.
•   Bilingual English/Spanish (or other languages) as required to meet the needs of the patient population.