Medical Assistant

About Ritter Center

For over 40 years, Ritter Center has been dedicated to preventing and resolving homelessness and improving the health, dignity, and well-being of people living in poverty in Marin. When you join Ritter Center, you join a highly trained staff that combines national clinical best practices with a whole-person care approach to solving each person’s medical and mental health, housing, and food needs. We are growing to meet the needs of our community and are looking for staff who are ready for a career with a mission-driven organization, want to be valued, have diverse experience, and have compassion.

About the Role

Ritter Center is currently recruiting a Bilingual Medical Assistant for our Clinic Team. This full-time, non-exempt position reports to the Clinic Manager based in San Rafael, CA and operates out of our main campus. The Medical Assistant will perform a wide range of duties in the Medical and Behavioral Health Departments of Ritter Center’s Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and is the first point of contact when working on Ritter Center’s Medical Mobile Van.

This role primarily involves assisting in the examination and treatment of patients under the direction of a Physician and/or Family Nurse Practitioner. The Medical Assistant has direct contact with patients and works closely with the front office staff, handling patient registration, checking insurance eligibility, and basic patient care duties. When not in the field, this person will provide backup in our on-site clinic in the back office and perform regular Medical Assistant duties. The role requires cultural competency and the ability to create a welcoming atmosphere for patients with co-occurring conditions.

This position may require working nights or weekends.

Responsibilities

• Escort patients to the exam room, interview patients, measure vital signs (pulse rate, temperature, blood pressure, weight, and height), and record information on patients’ charts.
• Prepare treatment rooms for examination of patients, drape patients with covering, and position instruments and equipment.
• Hand instruments and materials to practitioners as directed.
• Maintain inventory and order medical supplies and materials.
• Operate electrocardiograph (EKG) and other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests or schedule patients for tests.
• Administer injections or treatments and perform routine laboratory tests.
• Key data into computer to maintain office and patient records.
• Clean, sterilize, and disinfect medical equipment and instruments in accordance with clinical policies and OSHA guidelines.
• Follow policy and procedures including universal precautions as defined by OSHA’s guidelines on Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazardous Materials standards.
• Maintain good public relations with patients and co-workers.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with Ritter’s policy and HIPAA guidelines.
• Attend and participate in required meetings, training, and educational programs.
• Perform administrative responsibilities, including checking eligibility, verifying demographics, assisting patients with filling out necessary paperwork, and scheduling follow-up appointments.
• Provide field-based services and case management triage to individuals experiencing homelessness in encampments, on the streets, and in other locations to meet their immediate needs and engage them in care by the multidisciplinary team.
• Provide health education and training, including COVID-19 risk mitigation, overdose prevention, and harm reduction strategies.
• Provide respectful engagement to adults experiencing homelessness, many of whom have complex physical and mental health conditions and a significant lack of trust in conventional systems of care.
• Provide basic patient care duties such as taking vital signs, assisting patients with ambulation, wound care, venipuncture, and other basic point-of-care testing as directed by the Medical Provider.
• Document patient encounters using Ritter Center's Electronic Health Record system.
• Cross-train with the Behavioral Health Department to support our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners.
• Perform other related work as assigned.

Requirements

• Compliance with OSHA requirements: negative TB test prior to the start of employment and vaccination against COVID-19 (unless applying for an exemption).
• Influenza vaccine required (unless applying for a qualified medical or religious exemption).
• Valid Medical Assistant certificate from an accredited Medical Assistant Educational program.
• High School Diploma or GED completion.
• Current CPR certification.
• Minimum of 6-12 months of work experience preferred but will consider new graduates from an accredited Medical Assistant program.
• Prior experience working in a community health-care clinic environment a plus.
• Ability to follow instructions and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced health-care clinic environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication in English.
• Ability to work flexible hours as needed, including evenings and possibly weekends.

Qualifications

• Bilingual (Verbal English/Spanish) preferred but not required. A 6% Bilingual Differential is available upon passing Ritter Center's Bilingual Testing.

Pay

Hourly pay of $25.00, with a possible 6% Bilingual Differential upon passing Ritter Center's Bilingual Testing.

Benefits

Please visit our jobs page on our website for a complete list of our employee benefits. All positions at Ritter Center require a background check and Livescan fingerprinting.