This blog post is a writing assignment for MAST 1010: Legal & Ethical Concerns in the Medical Office, part of the Health Care Management (HC23) Associate of Applied Science Degree program at Southern Crescent Technical College.

In Georgia, a medical assistant is defined as an employee who does not have a license and to whom a doctor delegates some medical tasks (AAMA, n.d.). The scope of practice includes the tasks and services the medical assistant may provide or be prohibited from delivering while working with a medical assistant certification (Judson, 2021, p. 50). The tasks a doctor may delegate to a medical assistant include taking vitals, giving certain injections, switching to clean dressings, removing stitches, and giving nebulizer treatments. A doctor or at least an advanced practice nurse or physician assistant must be present in the facility for a medical assistant to perform the above-listed tasks except obtaining vitals. Medical assistants must only perform tasks and services for which they have received proper training but may perform additional tasks approved by the Board. A medical assistant failing to act within their scope of practice is grounds for disciplinary action by the Board (AAMA, n.d.).

References

AAMA. (n.d.). State Scope of Practice Laws. https://www.aama-ntl.org/employers/state-scope-of-practice-laws#GAscope

Judson, K. & Harrison, C. (2021). Law & Ethics for Health Professionals. (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

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