Practice assistant (MFA) jobs for medical assistants

Varied work between reception and treatment

The role combines administrative tasks with clinical work such as blood draws, injections or wound care delegated by the physician. Dental assistants have their own profile geared to dental practice, including preventive care and chairside assistance.

Medical assistants increasingly take on digital tasks too, such as organising video consultations and managing electronic patient records, broadening the role.

What these roles have in common

Medical assistants and practice assistants organise day-to-day clinic operations, from scheduling and taking blood samples to billing. Allied health professions such as biomedical science and radiography carry out lab and imaging diagnostics. Paramedics and EMS staff care for patients in the ambulance service, and midwives support pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.

Training paths differ enormously between these roles, from a short course taken alongside employment to a full bachelor's degree.

Training routes at a glance

In Germany, medical assistants complete a three-year dual apprenticeship ending in a chamber exam; in Austria, practice assistants (Ordinationsassistenz) take a shorter course, often alongside employment. Biomedical science and radiography are bachelor's degrees at Austrian universities of applied sciences, while the comparable German training runs through vocational colleges for the MT professions.

Paramedics in Germany complete a three-year training under the Notfallsanitätergesetz, while Austria runs tiered paramedic training with additional emergency competencies. Midwifery in both countries has largely moved to bachelor's degree study.

Employers by profession

Practices and outpatient clinics employ medical and practice assistants, while hospital labs and radiography departments employ allied health staff. Ambulance organisations such as the Red Cross, Johanniter or Malteser are the classic employers in emergency medical services, and midwives work in delivery rooms, birth centres, or independently supporting home care.

Working hours and pay

Practice-based roles usually have predictable hours with no night duty, while allied health staff in hospital labs sometimes cover on-call shifts for emergency diagnostics. Ambulance services run round-the-clock shift patterns, and hospital midwifery works rotating shifts too, while self-employed midwives organise their own schedule.

Pay follows a collective agreement, AVR or Kollektivvertrag depending on the employer; self-employed midwives bill through midwifery fee schedules or contracts with health insurers.

Recognition of foreign qualifications

Foreign qualifications in these professions are also recognised after a content review, with the responsible authority depending on the profession and the state. For midwives and allied health professions, the academic nature of the training often means a case-by-case review of the degree content.

How Atlas helps

Atlas lists current openings in practices, labs, radiography, emergency medical services and midwifery in one place, making employer and shift model easy to compare.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Practice and allied health roles cover very different training paths and working models, from predictable practice hours to round-the-clock ambulance shifts. Atlas helps you find the right roles by profession and location.