Aurélie has an appointment with her attending physician for her blood pressure. But before that, she has to go to the office of Émilie Creusson, the medical assistant: “How long have you been tired?”she asks him. “Since this summer and back to school, I feel that a good night’s sleep does nothing”, answers Aurélie. For three years, a new profession has emerged in medical offices, that of medical assistant. They are now almost 4,000 to exercise it, the government encourages their hiring and hopes to increase to 10,000 within two years. This job allows doctors to relieve them of certain acts, therefore to increase their patient base, and to fight against medical deserts.
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The profession of medical assistant, which Émilie Creusson exercises, is to prepare the consultation for the doctor. Taking blood pressure, Covid-19 vaccines, electrocardiograms… Emilie Creusson’s tasks are varied. She used to be a nurse at the hospital. “I actually wanted a relationship. I wanted to spend time with the patients, to get to know them and above all to follow them”, explains the medical assistant. Because his role is also to listen. Aurélie, the patient, confirms: “She takes the time to listen to us, to know exactly why we are coming. There is an additional listening.”
Around her baby, he must receive a vaccine booster. The weighing is done just before: “13,690 kilos, he gained 200 grams.” That will be less for the doctor to do. “It saves him ten minutes between the time of undressing, measuring him, weighing him, then dressing the child. It’s a good ten minutes anyway”develops Emilie Creusson.
Ten to 15 minutes saved per consultation, per patient on average. It is considerable, estimates Dr. Patricia Lefébure. She decided to hire her medical assistant two years ago, she who works in a medical desert. “There are 45% of patients who do not have a general practitioner in the municipalityinforms Patricia Lefebvre. It breaks our hearts every day to have to refuse people. People almost bow down to have a doctor. We tell them no.”
“I wondered how I could optimize my exercise, while doing quality, and not slaughter either by seeing people for five minutes, because that’s not seeing them. So I decided to get a medical assistant.”
Patricia Lefébure, general practitioner in Limayat franceinfo
This allows him to receive ten more patients a day and to welcome new ones who were looking for a attending physician. “I had about a thousand patients and there we had to go to 1,300says the doctor. We resume regularly, there we again resumed about fifty patients very recently and we continue to do so. For the salary of his medical assistant, 3,700 euros per month all charges included, 1,900 euros net, Dr. Lefébure receives decreasing social security assistance over the years.