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Being "low on the totem pole": What makes work worthwhile for medical assistants in an era of primary care transformation.
- Source :
-
Health care management review [Health Care Manage Rev] 2022 Oct-Dec 01; Vol. 47 (4), pp. 340-349. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Apr 05. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Background: Primary care is undergoing a transformation to become increasingly team-based and multidisciplinary. The medical assistant (MA) is considered a core occupation in the primary care workforce, yet existing studies suggest problematic rates and costs of MA turnover.<br />Purpose: We investigated what MAs perceive their occupation to be like and what they value in it to understand how to promote sustainable employability, a concept that is concerned with an employee's ability to function and remain in their job in the long term.<br />Approach: We used a case of a large, integrated health system in the United States that practices team-based care and has an MA career development program. We conducted semistructured interviews with 16 MAs in this system and performed an inductive analysis of themes.<br />Results: Our analysis revealed four themes on what MAs value at work: (a) using clinical competence, (b) being a multiskilled resource for clinic operations, (c) building meaningful relationships with patients and coworkers, and (d) being recognized for occupational contributions. MAs perceived scope-of-practice regulations as limiting their use of clinical competence. They also perceived task similarity with nurses in the primary care setting and expressed a relative lack of performance recognition.<br />Conclusion: Some of the practice changes that enable primary care transformation may hinder MAs' ability to attain their work values. Extant views on sustainable employability assume a high bar for intrinsic values but are limited when applied to low-wage health care workers in team-based environments.<br />Practice Implications: Efforts to effectively employ and retain MAs should consider proactive communications on scope-of-practice regulations, work redesign to emphasize clinical competence, and the establishment of greater recognition and respect among MAs and nurses.<br /> (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1550-5030
- Volume :
- 47
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Health care management review
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 35384916
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1097/HMR.0000000000000342