During my gap years following university, I decided to work as a medical assistant. For anyone looking to gain some clinical experience in a full-time job, I highly recommend becoming a medical assistant. Interested in why I chose being a medical assistant to gain clinical experience? Read about it here. In this post I’m going to take you through my “Day in the Life” as a medical assistant. While I am publishing this during COVID, this is a typical day in the life outside of these times.
4:00-4:15 AM: Wake Up and Devotional
To say I’m a morning gal is an understatement. I am definitely the type whose productivity rate goes down with the sun by the end of the day! I have been waking up around 4:00 AM ever since my junior year of college. Need tips on how to wake up early? See how I trained myself here. The first thing I like to do is read a devotional from the You Version Bible App on my phone. For me, this is the best way to start my day. If you’re looking for devotional recommendations, click here!
4:15-4:40 AM: Get Ready
After checking some messages and emails, I start getting ready. I brush my teeth, pull my hair back, put on my gym clothes, pack my backpack and gym bag, and put together my lunch. When I moved to the city, I decided to get rid of my car since I would mostly be walking and parking is difficult in San Francisco. At about 4:40 AM I call an Uber to get to my workout.
5:00-6:00 AM: Workout!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big Orangetheory gal. I’ve been doing it 5-6 days per week since college. As an exercise physiologist, I love the programming of the workouts and the science behind it. While I could program my own workouts, I love being able to just show up at 5AM and not have to think about what I’m going to do at the gym. They program the workouts nationally so there is no need to worry about a “bad instructor” or overworking one muscle group and not the other. It’s also a international chain, so I am able to go to Orangetheory classes if I’m traveling and there’s a nearby studio.
6:10-6:45 AM: Shower & Get Dressed
After the HIIT class, I will shower at the studio and throw on my scrubs, finish up my morning skincare routine (more on that here), and head to the coffee shop.
7:00-8:15 AM: Task Time
I’m most productive in the morning. I love to give myself some extra time between my workout and work to get some things done. In the past, it could be anything from studying for the MCAT to writing secondary applications to trip planning to mailing returns. I love making task lists on Google Calendar and use this time to knock a few things off that list!
8:20-8:40 AM: Huddle Time
I usually arrive at the clinic a 5-10 minutes prior to when our work day officially gets started at 8:30. I throw my lunch in the fridge, get situated, and chat with my colleagues about their evenings. At 8:30 I huddle with our care team which consists of a MA, nurse, and healthcare provider. We run through the patient list for the morning, discuss the patient’s history and goals for the visit.
8:40-5:00: Work
As a medical assistant, I monitor the schedule to note when patients arrive at the clinic. Once they are marked as “arrived” by the front desk, I bring them back from the waiting room into an exam room. I measure and record their vitals, review their medications, and talk to them about what they would like to speak with the provider about during the visit. After charting this information, I present the patient to the healthcare provider. While the visit continues, I usually try to catch up on some admin tasks. This can include calling the pharmacy regarding patient medications, submitting prior authorization requests for medication, communicating with other medical offices, pulling medical records from online portals, or returning patients’ calls. When the provider comes out of the room, I will assist with completing the visit. Sometimes this involves drawing blood samples for lab studies, administering vaccines, or simply giving the patient information regarding their next follow up visit.
5:45 PM: Home!
I usually get in the shower immediately after returning from work. Being in a clinic all day and walking around the city definitely calls for a hot shower at the end of the day. I usually will then get dinner started if I don’t already have something prepped. I invested in an InstantPot last autumn and it’s been amazing for making dinner fast! Check out my favorite InstantPot recipes here!
6:30-8:00 PM: Dinner and Relax
I love to sit down with my dinner and catch up on some TV shows (Bachelor, Grey’s, etc.) to wind down. I will usually FaceTime with family if I’m home in the evening and catch up on our days. Sometimes I’ll go out for dinner with friends instead, I love to try new spots in town. Point is, I definitely make it a point to really relax in the evening after a long day.
8:30PM: Wind down
I start getting ready for bed around 8:30. I brush my teeth and finish up any parts of my skincare routine I didn’t get to after my evening shower. I try to read a little bit before bed or watch some Youtube videos. I know they say that looking at screens right before bed is not the greatest thing, but personally I haven’t found it to impact my sleep all too much.
9:00-10:00PM: Lights out!
Depending on the night, I usually go to bed between 9:00-10:00. But if we’re being honest, it usually tends to be more towards the 9:00 side. After a long day, I definitely need some rest! I usually will put rain sounds on my phone and set a sleep timer for 25 minutes or so.
And there you have it! My typical day in the life of a medical assistant. While there are day-to-day varieties, I definitely consider myself a creature of habit!
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