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Medical assistant externship skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Comora Sarah,

Jamie Myers

Medical assistant externship example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical medical assistant externship skills. We ranked the top skills for medical assistant externships based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 24.0% of medical assistant externship resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a medical assistant externship needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 medical assistant externship skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how medical assistant externships use patients:

Assist podiatrists with patients suffering from complications related to diabetes or obesity.
Prepared patients/rooms for physical examinations; interviewed patients to obtain medical histories.

2. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how medical assistant externships use vital signs:

Completed administrative tasks to promote proper correspondence between physicians and patients and to ensure organization of practice; recorded vital signs.
Checked/monitored resident vital signs, while administering injections/medications, performing glucose testing and assisting with all activities of daily living.

3. EKG

Here's how medical assistant externships use ekg:

Prepare patient for exams, Obtain vital signs and accurate EKG tracings, room preparation, vital signs, and documentation.
Performed various clinical duties, such as vital signs, EKG's, urinalysis, PFT's, and rooming/interviewing patients.

4. Office Procedures

Office procedures are the protocols and standards which define how the staff works together. The office procedures can be a set of rules and regulations which guide the employees and help them run the office operations smoothly. Paperwork, customer interaction, taking messages, handling calls in and out all fall under the office procedures.

Here's how medical assistant externships use office procedures:

Performed routine medical office procedures including collecting specimens as directed, and assisting doctors during medical examinations.
Performed secretarial skills, scheduled and monitored appointments, applied computer concepts for office procedures.

5. Exam Rooms

An exam room in a hospital is a place where patients are examined by medical representatives. In several cases, the exam room distinguishes the doctor-patient relationship and is a critical component of the overall care process.

Here's how medical assistant externships use exam rooms:

Organized sample medication inventory and exam room supplies according to directions from clinical supervisor.
Prepare exam rooms, administer allergy injections, assist physician in procedures

6. Laboratory Specimens

Here's how medical assistant externships use laboratory specimens:

Input and update new patient's information, collection medical payments, preparing laboratory specimens for designated departments/locations.
Collected and prepared laboratory specimens or perform basic laboratory test on the premises, dispose of contaminated supplies.

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7. Phlebotomy

Here's how medical assistant externships use phlebotomy:

Performed supervised phlebotomy and electrocardiography procedures.
Administered injections, performed phlebotomy, urinalysis and other lab procedures quickly and accurately.

8. Medical History

Here's how medical assistant externships use medical history:

Performed various clerical tasks, including entering information into the Electronic Medical Records system and verifying medication and medical history.
Performed clinical duties that included preparing patients for medical exams and input medical history into the patient electronic health record.

9. Venipuncture

Venipuncture, or also known as venapuncture, venepuncture, or venupuncture, is collecting blood directly from a vein, which is done mainly for laboratory purposes. It is typically performed by a phlebotomist.

Here's how medical assistant externships use venipuncture:

Performed vitals, venipuncture and electrocardiography, administered injections, ear lavage, pulse/ox testing and assisted physician with minor procedures
Performed Venipuncture, immunization, checked hemoglobin level, pregnancy test, urinalysis test.

10. Blood Pressure

Here's how medical assistant externships use blood pressure:

Provided assistance to doctors by checking height, weight, temperature and blood pressure and record maintenance for patients' chart.
Observed and documented patient status, such as temperature, pulse, blood pressure, etc., and reported patient complaints.

11. Appointment Scheduling

Here's how medical assistant externships use appointment scheduling:

Coordinated and managed the reception area including registration of patients, coordinated appointment scheduling and billing.
Coordinated appointment scheduling and insurance verification.

12. Triage

Triage is a method of prioritizing a patient or a group depending on the severity, diagnosis, and condition of the disease needing immediate medical care. It is often to determine a condition and identifying the appropriate destination before assessing where the patient will be going. A triage nurse commonly performs it.

Here's how medical assistant externships use triage:

Performed triage of newly registered patients and interviewed patients to obtain medical information and recorded in electronic medical records.
Supported OB/GYN/Pediatrics operations providing triage, assisting providers and handling front office administration.

13. Patient Charts

Here's how medical assistant externships use patient charts:

Establish, organize and compile patient charts, verify accuracy of information within documentation before filing.
Faxed important paperwork, Organized charts alphabetically and pulled patient charts for upcoming visits.

14. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how medical assistant externships use patient care:

Worked in a medical environment maintaining patient confidentiality with a fast pace while demonstrating proper patient care and surveillance.
Demonstrated initiative to assist chiropractor/QMC to provide excellent customer service, patient care and office administration.

15. Patient History

Here's how medical assistant externships use patient history:

Reviewed patient history, obtained chief complaint and documented pertinent information into NextGen electronic medical record.
Documented patient history, scheduled appointments, and performed medical receptionist duties as needed.

5 Medical Assistant Externship resume examples

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What skills help Medical Assistant Externships find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on medical assistant externship resumes?

Comora Sarah

Assistant Clinical Professor, Merrimack College

Experience in the industry, Dementia training, BLS certification

What soft skills should all medical assistant externships possess?

Jamie Myers

Education Program Associate, Allied Health Coordinator, Pennsylvania State University - Hazleton

Critical thinking, problem-solving, dependability.

What hard/technical skills are most important for medical assistant externships?

Jamie Myers

Education Program Associate, Allied Health Coordinator, Pennsylvania State University - Hazleton

Computer skills.

What medical assistant externship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

Faculty Coordinator of Allied Health/Medical Assistant Program Director, Midstate College

duties vary, depending on the medical office/hospital/urgent/specialty clinics
where they are employed. Below are some specific job duties that are very
common in the day-in-the-life of a Medical Assistant (these duties include, but
are not limited to the following):
 Greeting patients and checking them in at the Waiting room window
 Collecting vital signs from patients
 Answer phones as needed
 Assist with scheduling patient appointments
 Data entry of patient information in an electronic medical record (EMR)
 Using various computer applications
 Transmitting prescription refills
 Insurance coding & billing
 Obtain or completing procedures for preauthorizations/hospital
admissions/outside testing/etc.
 Collecting specimens for Point-of-Care testing or send outs to reference
labs
 Venipuncture/Examination Assistance to provider/other duties as needed

Do you want to know more?

List of medical assistant externship skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a medical assistant externship resume and required skills for a medical assistant externship to have include:

Patients
Vital Signs
EKG
Office Procedures
Exam Rooms
Laboratory Specimens
Phlebotomy
Medical History
Venipuncture
Blood Pressure
Appointment Scheduling
Triage
Patient Charts
Patient Care
Patient History
Insurance Verification
Front Desk

Patient Vitals
Test Results
Drawing Blood
Patient Appointments
Treatment Rooms
Patient Examinations
Patient Education
Patient Rooms
EHR
PAP Smears
Specimen Collection
Insurance Forms
HIPAA
Vital Statistics
Patient Intake
Medical Procedures
Medical Terminology

Urine Samples
Administer Medications
Lab Results
CPR
Administer Injections
Rooms Neat
Hippa
CLIA
TB
Prescription Refills
Suture Removal
Office Equipment
Administrative Tasks
ECG
Patient Scheduling
Treatment Procedures

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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