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The field of medical assisting is constantly evolving, and new developments are always occurring. Below, we break down three medical assisting trends and technological developments you should know about to keep your skills up to date. 

#1.  AI and Medical Assistants 

It might be odd to think, but artificial intelligence will soon play a massive part in the medical landscape. For medical assistants, you’ll likely see AI have a role in analyzing test results such as X-rays or blood panels. You’ll also see AI communication methods taking a bigger segment in the administrative side of the job. These advances will drive better patient outcomes and allow medical centers to help/treat more patients. As machine learning improves, AI will start to be a noticeable trend in the medical assisting landscape. 

#2.  How Will Telehealth Trends Affect Medical Assisting? 

Telehealth, or the ability for doctors and other healthcare workers to communicate virtually with patients, is on the rise. This is a great way to ensure fast diagnosis and prevent illness from spreading unnecessarily.  

For medical assistants, you might see telehealth affecting time doctors spend with patients, both in person and remotely. So much health information is tracked and transmitted digitally. Fewer patients through the door might make it easier to build personal connections with those who do come into offices, but it will be even more crucial to keep in touch with patients who you don’t see in person regularly.  

#3.  Easier Record Keeping and Sharing 

This has been true for some time now, but electronic health records (EHR) are taking over the healthcare world. This has two advantages. First of all, there is no longer any paper trail to follow that becomes impossible to keep track of. This will reduce errors and help keep everyone on the same page at all times. But beyond that, health information will be easier to share between doctors now, which means that transferring patients throughout a hospital or from one practitioner to another won’t create as big of a headache as it had in the past.  

These trends and more are changing medical assisting as a field, making certification with programs like Swedish Institute more crucial than ever. At Swedish Institute, we’re committed to embracing technology in our education. Check out the iPad program that offer here at the school for a sampling of what we can do.