What does an md do?
A Doctor of Medicine or MD is the designation of a person who completed medical education. Generally, MDs focus on the treatment of conditions in need of medication. These doctors do health assessments, prescribe medication, run diagnostic tests, treat patients, and offer health and wellness advice. Among their health specialties are in the areas of neurology, gynecology, and dermatology. They may also perform surgery when necessary. All these are made possible with their knowledge and skills in medicine.
Md responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real md resumes:
- Manage the office regarding Clia and OSHA laws and regulations
- Manage on call pager for after hours triage and urgent matters while staying in complete communication with the physician.
- Manage patient files by making new charts, keying all encounters through ICD-9 coding procedures and posting in patient database.
- Operate electrocardiograph (EKG), call to schedule test for patients and routine office visits.
- Back office responsibilities include rooming patients, obtaining vitals, chief complaint and documenting into EMR system.
- Assist physicians in exams rooms, administer intramuscular injections and perform venipuncture on adult and pediatric patients.
- Provide administrative support, phone triage, scheduling, data entry, copay collection, filing.
- Assist with claims submission and filing using the proper ICD-9 and CPT codes designate for practice specialty.
- Front office work include computer skills, electronic medical record (EMR), and filing, paper.
- Ensure that ICD-9-CM procedure codes used for inpatient services and CPT codes for outpatient and physician services not outdate.
- Train in phlebotomy, medical assisting, and processing of laboratory specimens.
- Work with patients and insurance companies daily to determine alternative payment options when necessary
- Assist in gathering information and completing MDS assessments per Medicare and Medicaid regulations.
- Demonstrate proficiency in phlebotomy, collect specimen and prepare them for laboratory pick-up.
- Perform in-house urinalysis, call in prescription refills, and obtain insurance authorizations.
Md skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of MDs are proficient in Patients, Customer Service, and Surgical Procedures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of MDs that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 33%
Prepare patients rooms for physical examinations; sterilize equipment and properly dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Customer Service, 8%
Adhered to standard operating procedures for safety and security, providing the highest customer service satisfaction required by the airline industry.
- Surgical Procedures, 6%
Performed all periodontal therapy including surgical and non-surgical procedures, in addition to implant surgeries.
- Surgery, 5%
Free standing surgical center doing outpatient surgery; primarily endoscopic procedures and simple general anesthesia orthopedic surgeries during my brief stay.
- Patient Care, 5%
Collaborate with multidisciplinary team providing comprehensive patient care in a premiere 800-bed hospital, focusing on patients with internal medicine disorders.
- Vital Signs, 4%
Executed vital sign assessment, cardiac and respiratory assessment and maintenance, medication administration, and pain control
"patients," "customer service," and "surgical procedures" are among the most common skills that mds use at work. You can find even more md responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an md to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what mds do because "medical assistants must be able to understand and follow medical charts and diagnoses." Additionally, an md resume shows how mds use analytical skills: "scheduled patient exams data entry for insurance claims quality assurance for mammograms"
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform md duties is detail oriented. Mds responsibilities require that "medical assistants need to be precise when taking vital signs or recording patient information." Mds also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "interviewed patients to obtain detailed medical histories and review of systems within family practice. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of mds is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday md duties, as "medical assistants need to be able to discuss patient information with other medical personnel, such as physicians." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills with other specialties in admitting and treating in- house patients. "
Technical skills. For certain md responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "technical skills." The day-to-day duties of an md rely on this skill, as "medical assistants should be able to use basic clinical instruments so they can take a patient’s vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what mds do: "developed test cases based on the technical specifications and business requirements. "
The three companies that hire the most mds are:
- Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.23 mds jobs
- Intermountain Healthcare22 mds jobs
- Soliant14 mds jobs
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Compare different mds
Md vs. Clinical assistant
A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, md responsibilities require skills like "surgery," "internal medicine," "emr," and "office procedures." Meanwhile a typical clinical assistant has skills in areas such as "pet," "cpr," "data entry," and "phone calls." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Clinical assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than mds. In fact, clinical assistants are 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Md vs. Health assistant
A health assistant is responsible for providing quality care for the patients under the supervision of registered nurses and attending physicians. Health assistants perform basic medical procedures, such as collecting specimens for examinations, checking the patients' conditions, and administering required medications. They also assist health care professionals in conducting complex medical processes by preparing the equipment and ensuring the cleanliness of the operating room. A health assistant keeps an organized record of medical charts for the doctor's reference and may also coordinate with the patient's family for medical updates.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, md responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "surgical procedures," "surgery," "patient care," and "internal medicine." Meanwhile, a health assistant has duties that require skills in areas such as "cpr," "mental health," "health services," and "school health." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, health assistants achieve similar levels of education than mds. They're 3.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 5.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Md vs. Unit assistant
A unit assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties within a department of a health care institution, ensuring that the patients receive the highest quality care services for their concerns and needs. Unit assistants assist the patients and the visitors, confirm their appointments, and direct them to the correct personnel or medical department. They also manage the adequacy of medical supplies and report defective equipment and machine to the maintenance for immediate repairs or replacements. A unit assistant must be highly organizational, especially on storing medical records and updating patients' information on the database.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, mds are more likely to have skills like "surgical procedures," "patient care," "internal medicine," and "tuberculosis." But a unit assistant is more likely to have skills like "medical terminology," "adl," "direct patient care," and "compassion."
When it comes to education, unit assistants tend to earn lower degree levels compared to mds. In fact, they're 5.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 5.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Md vs. Office manager/medical assistant
Types of md
Updated January 8, 2025
