Welcome to the Society of Medical Assistants
At the Society of Medical Assistants (SoMA), we champion the essential role of medical assistants in the healthcare sector. As a dedicated membership platform, SoMA is committed to enriching your professional journey. Here, we offer a suite of benefits tailored to your unique needs in the medical field:
- Practice Protection: Ensuring your professional interests are safeguarded.
- Credential Verification: Streamlining the process to maintain your credentials.
- Exclusive Discounts: Enjoy great savings on a range of products and services.
- Educational & Networking Opportunities: Diverse resources for continuous learning and building professional connections.
Dive into a world where your profession is celebrated, supported, and elevated. Explore our site to learn more!
Recent Medical Information Updates For Assistants
- AAMC Practice Test Vs Real MCAT
The AAMC material, developed and published by the actual test-maker, more closely approximates the MCAT than any third-party material. They offer full length practice tests, unscored practice exams (called Sample Test), and question packs.
Students should attempt AAMC practice exams and Question Packs early in their preparation to build stamina and identify content gaps. The Section Bank can be an invaluable resource, yet should only be undertaken after having used the other items mentioned here.
What is the AAMC?
AAMC provides practice tests and material designed to assist premed students in preparing for the MCAT. Their practice tests and material provide the closest approximation of what will be tested, making it essential as part of students’ preparation efforts. They should be the foundational basis of preparation.
However, they can be somewhat challenging as their questions tend to be more advanced and content-heavy than those found with other prep companies. AAMC, for example, is moving away from traditional passages towards experiment-based passages that are harder to read and analyze.
Students suffering from test anxiety often perform poorly on the AAMC exams. To overcome this obstacle, they should take full-length practice tests towards the end of their preparation period so that questions will still be fresh in their mind when taking the real MCAT.
What are the full length practice tests?
AAMC provides four official full length practice exams designed to simulate an actual MCAT examination and assess your stamina, content gaps and stamina levels. The first practice test tends to focus on more content while the last exam most closely represents what an actual MCAT will look like.
As part of your preparation, it is recommended to spread out these exams throughout your timeline rather than trying to cram all at once in the last month before your test date. This allows for optimal test day experience while preventing anxiety-driven changes to your score.
Take mini practice tests after each material module to test what you have learned and witness how your score improves over time. This can give a snapshot of what to expect on exam day and provide insight into whether your performance has increased.
What are the official guide questions?
These questions are an excellent way to test your strengths and weaknesses before the real exam, giving a good representation of the test itself. To get an accurate sense of your score, it is recommended that one or two of these exams should be performed early on in your studies as well as one more each month after.
The AAMC provides an affordable Question Pack bundle. These packs contain 120 questions that include both discrete and passage-based questions; this resource makes an excellent supplement to full length practice tests; additionally it makes for an easy selection if you don’t know which prep company to go with; these packs include two biology packs, two chemistry packs, and one CARS Question Pack; however these questions may no longer reflect current test questions as accurately.
What are the flashcards?
The American Academy of Mammalogy has issued flashcards with practice questions printed onto them to facilitate learning complex concepts like chemical equations or the periodic table of elements that cannot be easily captured in one question. These flash cards provide an effective learning method.
Reserving full-length scaled AAMC practice tests until the last month of preparation is strongly advised, in order to give yourself timed practice answering the questions under timed conditions and familiarize your mind with exam day conditions.
AAMC full length scaled exams offer you an ideal way to attain realistic scores and practice timing, although other resources like Question Banks or Question Packs may help too – though beware that they might not reflect what’s on offer as closely.
What are the old AAMC tests?
AAMC provides practice tests and question banks for the MCAT, serving as official MCAT prep material produced by those responsible. As it’s created by those creating the exam itself, its practice tests and question banks more accurately reflect actual test conditions than anything else available.
Bryan is joined by Next Step MCAT tutors to discuss this breakthrough news and compare AAMC full length exams to those offered by Kaplan and Princeton Review test prep companies.
AAMC full-length scaled practice exams are excellent tools, but you should space them out over your preparation period to avoid cramming. They offer more rigor than unscored Sample Tests.
- How to Become a Psychiatrist
Becoming a psychiatrist requires more than having the appropriate personality. It also necessitates years of study, including undergraduate education, medical school education and psychiatry residency training.
Undergraduate students interested in psychiatry should select an undergraduate degree program that offers courses necessary for medical school admissions, such as science and math classes.
Medical School
Psychologists must complete both medical school and a residency to become licensed psychiatrists, so those interested in becoming psychiatrists should aim for excellent grades during high school and undergraduate college studies. Students aspiring to become psychiatrists should enroll in as many science classes as possible and work towards earning a high GPA (taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes may help increase this). Once students have obtained their undergraduate degree, aspiring Psychiatrists should attend medical school; most programs last four years. Psychopaths will usually graduate with either an MD or DO degree. MDs specialize in allopathic medicine, which primarily relies on prescription drugs and surgery for healing patients; DOs practice osteopathic medicine which emphasizes healing within the body itself.
Once Psychiatrists complete medical school, they are required to undertake a four-year residency program. During this time they will gain hands-on experience treating mental illnesses in patients. It can be extremely demanding career path requiring patience and emotional strength.
Residency
After graduating medical school with either an MD or DO degree, you must complete a four-year residency program to treat patients suffering from mental health disorders. Here you’ll start learning psychiatry while working under licensed psychiatrists’ guidance in clinics and hospitals.
As part of your residency training, you will focus on various aspects of the specialty you want to practice – for instance if you wish to become a forensic psychiatrist, for example, you will rotate through clinics that cater specifically for disorders and age groups such as bipolar or anxiety disorders.
Residency programs look for candidates that demonstrate passion and dedication to psychiatry by taking many electives related to mental health and completing community service projects in mental health. Furthermore, residency programs look for letters of recommendation from teachers who observed your interactions with patients or supervised your research projects. Nearly 150 million Americans don’t have sufficient access to mental healthcare – your dedication and interest in this field will make you stand out among other candidates.
Board Certification
A psychiatrist is a type of medical doctor that diagnoses, treats and prescribes medication for mental illnesses in people. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one out of every five adults experiences at least one mental illness during their lives. To become a psychiatrist one must first obtain a bachelor’s degree from a university which offers pre-medicine courses as well as taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). After that they must attend either allopathic or osteopathic medical school before becoming licensed practitioners.
After graduating medical school, individuals must undergo a four-year psychiatry residency program where they treat real patients in clinical settings. At this point, psychiatrists may opt to specialize in either child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry or addiction psychiatry.
Psychologists require both dedication and time in their pursuit of this challenging career. Individuals aspiring to become psychiatrists must be capable of working under high levels of stress while being able to empathize with patients as well as possess critical and analytical thinking abilities to comprehend and treat individual psychological and emotional problems effectively.
Licensing
As mental illness becomes less of a taboo subject, more individuals than ever before are seeking care for behavioral and emotional problems. While this bodes well for potential patients, psychiatrists can expect high demand and substantial salaries from this career path which requires compassion, critical thinking skills and analytical proficiency as well as the ability to create non-threatening physical spaces which foster trust from patients.
Future psychiatrists must first obtain a bachelor’s degree from an accredited pre-med or health sciences program that offers many science and math classes, before attending medical school with an appropriate residency program.
After medical school, prospective psychiatrists must complete a four-year psychiatry residency to gain practical experience and training. At this point, future doctors can apply for their state license; during residency some may opt to specialize further by applying for fellowships.
Common Questions We Get About Use of CBD
- Can Medical Assistants Use Cannabidiol On Days Off?
Medical assistants who use CBD, or marijuana’s cousin, could gain some protection against discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act and state laws; however, before speaking to their employer they must first be prepared.
Preparing can include gathering documentation from their doctor as well as discussing why and what medications they are taking.
1. Talk to Your Employer
No matter if it is for chronic illness pain relief, dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety attacks depression and/or tremors caused by fibromyalgia; medical marijuana could help. But if employed by a company with a no tolerance drug policy this may put your employment in jeopardy.
Marijuana contains over 100 phytocannabinoids, such as THC – with psychoactive properties – but there are other cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), which has non-psychoactive effects and is becoming more popular across America. CBD products may range from capsules and tinctures to gum and candy forms, with most not containing much THC but some do containing significant quantities; it’s important to read labels carefully in this instance.
New Jersey employers cannot take adverse actions against workers with doctor-recommended prescriptions for medical marijuana; however, federal rules stipulate that companies receiving certain contracts or grants must maintain drug testing programs which include THC tests as part of these plans.
Employers may restrict or prohibit marijuana use during working hours and meal and break periods, including meal and break periods; however, they’re still entitled to require that their employees abstain on days off. If it can be shown that marijuana helps your job performance or protects others in any way then that could present undue hardship issues – potentially by showing that using it helps safeguard health or safety of others. So this may fall under topical hemp creams.
2. Ask for a Reasonable Accommodation
If cannabis can help a disability, federal and state laws allow for reasonable accommodations to workplace policies – this is known as an “ADA reasonable accommodation” or disability discrimination and leave law.
Huber v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. is an example wherein the plaintiff worked remotely while suffering from debilitating migraines that she received accommodations for since 2006 and frequently took leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Her doctor suggested non-psychoactive hemp-based CBD oil as a treatment option in 2017, which seemed to alleviate her condition and lessened FMLA leave requirements significantly; however, shortly thereafter her employer informed her she had failed a drug test due to using CBD caused a positive THC result on her pre-employment screening screening test!
Employees requesting an exception from their company’s drug-free workplace policy due to medical or disability conditions can seek an exception as an accommodation – provided it will significantly aid their ability to perform their job. An employer is not obliged to accommodate, however, if cannabis use by an employee jeopardizes either their safety or that of others; this especially holds true when working in safety-sensitive positions governed by federal law.
3. Seek Legal Advice
Health-care workers have turned to non-THC CBD products as an effective solution for pain management, anxiety/depression relief, insomnia treatment, fibromyalgia pain, fibromyalgia pain relief and more. CBD oil can be found in various forms – gummies, lotions, pet products and vapes are just some examples – available via prescription in some states or available over-the-counter at major drugstore chains.
New York law does not permit employers to prohibit employees from using cannabis products on company property during work hours, including any private residence used as an employee’s workplace if working remotely. Nonetheless, using CBD oil on days off could still violate an employer’s drug policy if it hinders an employee from performing their job and they cannot demonstrate they can perform without impairment.
Employers may offer reasonable accommodations, such as flexible working hours or duties changes – such as using vaping for work-related PTSD/anxiety symptoms if that is all that causes impairment. A doctor’s note may be required, though employees have the right to privacy regarding any diagnosis or treatments used, according to Reidy.
4. Be Prepared
Cannabidiol (CBD), found in Cannabis sativa plants, has recently become one of the hottest wellness trends online. Many products containing CBD have been touted as cures for various ails such as anxiety, pain, insomnia and depression – with juices, lotions, gummies and vape pens all boasting this ingredient as an antidote – seemingly making CBD seem like an irresistibly trendy wellness trend but is it really? How can one identify reliable products when researching what?
First and foremost, it’s essential that you understand what CBD is. CBD is a chemical found within the Cannabis sativa plant – also commonly referred to as marijuana or hemp – which does not contain psychoactive components like THC does.
CBD can be extracted from either of these plants, but industrial hemp is the go-to choice because its cultivation aims to create low concentrations of THC. Once grown, solvents like water, carbon dioxide or ethanol are then used to extract CBD from its plant material – each can pose potential dangers but ethanol stands out as the safer and less-obnoxious choice when producing CBD.
Medical assistants may use CBD for debilitating conditions, provided they hold a written Health Care Provider certification from their Advanced Practice Registered Nurse-Full Practice Authorization (APRN-FPA) or Physician Assistant treating their illness. IDPH must keep this certification on file, which they can access by filling out an online form.