Professional communication skills are a requirement in any environment but are particularly  essential in the health care field. As a medical  assistant, you will relate to a variety of people,  including sick and worried patients, patients of all ages,  your physician-employer, fellow staff members, vendors,  and even some personal acquaintances of the physician.  Some individuals you will interact with will be angry, frustrated, or simply ill and tired. Many patients who come into  the physician’s office or clinic will have physical or emotional problems that are not the main reason for their  appointment. In addition, given the widely diverse population in the United States, you will encounter people from a  variety of countries and cultures as well as those from different socioeconomic and education backgrounds. The medical assistant must be able to care for the patient in a holistic  fashion and treat everyone with respect, dignity, and courtesy. Holistic medicine focuses on the whole patient and  addresses the patient’s social, emotional, and spiritual  needs, as well as the person’s physical needs. 

It is not enough for the medical assistant to have excellent  technical skills. Good interpersonal skills as well as good  oral and written communication skills are needed to relate  well to patients and fellow staff. In this chapter, you will  learn about self-awareness and interpersonal dynamics. You  will study the communication process, including directive  techniques to improve effective communication, barriers to  good communication, and defensive behaviors. Examining  diversity issues, communicating in special circumstances,  and communicating with special needs patients will help  you prepare for various situations you may encounter. Communication in the workplace, working as a member of a  team, and understanding some conflict resolution strategies  will help in your day-to-day work environment. 

Soft skills, or people skills, combined with cognitive and psychomotor skills, are vitally important in the medical office. The medical assistant functions within a system, an organized hierarchy of professionals with established policies and procedures. It is important for the medical assistant to communicate well with the patients, physicians, and coworkers. Good communication involves active listening, seeking first to understand then speaking to be understood, and effective writing. Critical thinking, another key professional skill, involves distinguishing fact from opinion and making good value judgments. Teamwork is essential in the medical office where a diversity of clients, coworkers, and needs may create conflicts.

Medical assistants must prioritize tasks and manage time well. Stress management for patients and medical office employees is also important. Medical careers can create stress for health care workers, so it is important to know how to reduce stress. Time management is critical for the office to operate well. Urgent tasks are not necessarily important tasks. A to-do list can help you prioritize tasks. Persistence is also important in the medical office. The medical assistant may need to focus on a task several times to be thorough and see it through to completion. Lifelong learning is the responsibility of the medical assistant, because new breakthroughs and treatments are perpetually being developed in medicine.