DATE: ​February 7, 2019

TO: ​Professor Stephen Haslam

FROM: ​Brenda Morales
SUBJECT: ​Medical Assisting Interview

I interviewed Brenda Paredes, a medical assistant in the OBGYN unit at Intermountain Medical
Center. I interviewed her right after her shift in the unit and we discussed about medical
assisting. She discussed with me her daily responsibilities, schedule, education, pros and cons
about her job and she also offered me advice. Interviewing Paredes was an amazing experience
because it opened my eyes about how rewarding this career is. Brenda Paredes was so
thoughtful, passionate and informative about this career which motivated me to work hard for
this career once I’m in the program.

EDUCATION

Brenda Paredes received her certification in the Medical Assisting program at Salt Lake
Community College. She stated that you could get certified in education programs in a technical
school or a community college. I learned that it’s better to get a certification in a college which
can open more doors for opportunities. In the medical field it is important to have experience.
Paredes started out as a certified nursing assistant before becoming a medical assistant which
helped her get a job quickly. She stated that many clinics and hospital now look for medical
experience when applying. I learned that with my free time I will be having in the summer, I will
get my phlebotomy certification.

RESPONSIBILITIES

As a medical assistant there are many responsibilities that come into play. Paredes stated that her
daily responsibilities is preparing the procedures that they are assigned to do and also preparing
the patient before meeting with the doctor by taking their vital signs and gathering information
about them. I learned that it takes a lot of hard work and patience to do all this because you meet
with so many patients that you don’t know what to expect from them. I realized that you must
use your time wisely when meeting with patients.

SCHEDULE

The schedule for a medical assistant varies in what kind of setting they work at. Working at a
hospital requires longer shifts and clinics are just morning shifts. Paredes states that she works
full time at the hospital from monday thru friday while going to school part time. I learned that it
takes balance in order to feel comfortable with your schedule because of the long shifts that I
will receive when I one day work at a hospital. Balancing work, daily life and school is
important because it can get a bit stressful.

PROS AND CONS

There are pros and cons that come with becoming a medical assistant. Paredes stated that the
pros of this job is the bond you build with your teammates, patients and doctor. You are opened
to more networking opportunities and you get to meet many patients that appreciate your work.
Paredes says that sometimes you get assigned to complete many tasks in such little time which
can get very stressful. Busy days are the hardest days for her. I learned that I must have a lot of
patience during stressful moments. Despite the difficult moments, I realized how rewarding this
job is because patients appreciate your time with them and that’s why they rely on you to give
them the best experience with the doctor.

ADVICE

During the interview, Paredes offered me advice. She stated that getting more medical
experience such as nursing and phlebotomy will help me get a job more easier since its a
competitive job. It also opens to more networking opportunities. Paredes also stated that hard
work and dedication will get me far in the medical field. After she stated the advice to me, it
opened my eyes that this journey in this field won’t be easy but that it can be done.

INTERVIEW ANALYSIS

​ fter the interview, it made me realize how much hard work and dedication it takes to work as a
A
Medical Assistant. Although it’s a difficult job because of the many tasks and responsibilities
one has, it won’t change my mind about pursuing this career. I’ve always been passionate about
the medical field and I know medical assisting is the right career choice for me.

As the interviewer, I felt like I did a pretty good job. My strength was that I went inside the
interview with confidence and an open mind. I tend to become a nervous person when meeting
someone new but I didn’t want to let that get in the way because I knew I had to get important
information. A weakness that I feel like I have to work on is looking less at the paper that have
the questions on it. I caught myself looking at my paper more times than usual because it
affected the flow of my questions. I feel like during an interview you must go in with the
questions memorized because it makes you look more professional and organized. Next time I
conduct an interview I will do my best to have the questions memorized so I can look less at the
paper and have a better flow of the questions. The interview was overall a great learning
experience.