Medical Assistant; Mohs

Medical Assistant (Mohs) – U.S. Dermatology Partners

Job Summary
The Mohs Medical/Surgical Assistant provides assistance to the licensed physician in multiple settings, including clinic and outpatient surgical settings. The role involves delivering safe, knowledgeable, and compassionate individualized care to all patients.

• Serve as a patient advocate during exam, surgery, and treatment.
• Interview surgery patients to obtain medical information.
• Measure patients’ vital signs, weight, and height.
• Show patients to examination rooms, procedure rooms, or operative rooms and prepare them for the physician.
• Review a surgical informed consent with the patient prior to their procedure.
• Record patients’ medical history, medications, allergies, vital signs, and test results in an Electronic Health Record (EHR).
• Set up a sterile surgical tray:
  • Inspect sterile items prior to opening.
  • Open sterile surgical items in a sterile fashion.
  • Lay supplies out on the sterile field in an organized manner.
  • Place surgical gloves on hands using sterile technique.
• Assist the physician during surgery while maintaining a sterile field:
  • Blot with gauze when needed.
  • Under surgeon direction, use skin hooks to gently retract skin while the surgeon undermines or uses a cautery device.
  • Use forceps to hold the suture line away from the field or to help hold the suture line tip in place during knot placement.
  • Use scissors to clip sutures at various lengths depending on suture placement (epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat, etc.).
  • Assist surgeon during cauterization.
  • Know the difference between thermal cautery and electrocautery and have the correct device prepared in a clean/sterile fashion.
• Properly numb a patient’s skin using local anesthetics as directed by the physician.
• Prepare and administer medications following safety protocols (right dose, right patient, right route, right drug, expiration date).
• Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens; log and prepare them for testing.
• Explain surgical/treatment procedures, medications, and diets.
• Explain wound care instructions and physicians’ instructions to patients.
• Explain and comfort patients regarding expected healing times for various wound types and locations.
• Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing instruments and materials or performing tasks such as injections and suturing removal.
• Accept triage-style phone calls, determining which situations require in-person evaluation versus phone counseling.
• Under physician direction, authorize drug refills, enter prescription information into the EHR, and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
• Know how to clean surgical instruments, wrap them in sterile packs, and place them in an autoclave.
• Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, maintaining organization and cleanliness.
• Assess patient conditions throughout the exam, procedure, or surgery according to facility policies and notify the physician or RN of any distress.
• Responsible for cleaning rooms and medical equipment between patients and at the end of the day.
• Properly dispose of infection waste and biohazard materials.
• Schedule appointments for patients, including surgery appointments (Mohs surgery, excisions) and clinic appointments (wound checks, Mohs consultations, suture removals):
  • Have basic medical and surgical knowledge related to dermatology and Mohs surgery.
  • Know what various blood thinners are.
  • Know the basic difference between a pacemaker and a defibrillator.
  • Know the different types of skin cancer and how they pertain to Mohs surgery vs excision.
  • Know basic external anatomy of the head and neck.
  • Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule tests, admissions, or collaborative surgical care.
• Change dressings on wounds and apply a pressure bandage after Mohs or excision surgery.
• Know how to place steri-strips and use mastisol.
• Know how to carefully use Hibiclens (chlorhexidine) and other preps (Ocusoft, alcohol, iodine) for surgical prep.
• Inventory and assess the need for instruments, supplies, and equipment; keep the room fully stocked daily.
• Inventory and order medical supplies monthly; ensure all equipment is in proper working order.
• Perform…