National Medical Assistant Day: an important part of our team

When you come to Ingenes for an appointment or a test, you probably notice the doctor who sees you right away. For that visit to run smoothly, many more people are involved, and the medical assistant is one of them. Their work combines clinical and support tasks that help prepare, organize and guide each appointment.

In the United States, medical assistants are honored during Medical Assistants Recognition Week, which the American Association of Medical Assistants observes from October 19 to 23 in 2026. We want to use the occasion to tell you what they do on our team and why their work matters so much in reproductive medicine.

An important part of our team

At Ingenes, we see medical care as teamwork. When you arrive for an appointment, several things need to happen before the doctor starts evaluating your case: reviewing your history, updating your information, recording certain data, preparing your file and, depending on the visit, carrying out some clinical tasks. The medical assistant can take part in many of these moments.

Their role has clear limits: it does not replace the doctor’s, and they are not the ones who decide on a diagnosis or a treatment. Each member of the team has specific responsibilities:

• The doctor performs the evaluation and makes the clinical decisions.
• Laboratory staff handle the samples and procedures in their area, as our embryologists do.
• Nursing takes part in care and follow-up.
• The medical assistant helps connect the different parts of your experience.

In reproductive medicine, where a person may go through appointments, tests, procedures and several stages of treatment, this coordination becomes especially important. For you, it can mean something as simple as knowing what comes next, having your information properly put together or having someone to help you at certain points during the visit. Many of these tasks happen out of sight, yet they are part of the experience we want to offer you.

How they support you during your care

A medical appointment starts before you walk into the exam room. When you arrive, we need information that will help the team understand your situation. The medical assistant may help collect and update some of that data and prepare you ahead of the evaluation, so the doctor has your information organized when it is time to review your case.

They can also help you understand certain steps of the process, without interpreting medical results in place of the specialist. When you have a question about a diagnosis, a result or an instruction, the right professional is the one who should explain it; the medical assistant can help route that question and make communication easier.

In a fertility journey, that communication carries a lot of weight, because there are many terms, tests and different moments. You may arrive with questions about a hormone test, an ultrasound, a semen analysis or a procedure. Our goal is that you never feel you have to figure everything out on your own.

Having your information organized from the start makes every step of the appointment easier

What a medical assistant does

Their specific duties depend on the area and the responsibilities assigned within the team. Their work may include collecting clinical information, preparing the patient, recording data and helping coordinate care.

Preparing for the appointment

Before the medical evaluation, your information may need to be updated and you may need to be prepared according to the type of visit.

Recording information

The data in your file allows the team to know your history. That is why accuracy and care in handling information are essential.

Support during certain procedures

Depending on the area, the medical assistant may help with tasks previously defined by the team and within their scope.

Coordination

They may also help organize different moments of your care.

The exact role can vary, but one principle holds: the work of every team member should help you receive organized, human care.

Why their work matters in reproductive medicine

At Ingenes we see very different stories. Some people come for the first time to learn about their fertility, and others already have previous test results. Some arrive after earlier treatments, and others need to preserve their fertility before a medical treatment. Not everyone needs the same thing, which is why one of our principles is to understand your story before defining a path.

Our model brings different disciplines together to evaluate each case individually. Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, biologists, embryologists, geneticists, nurses and other professionals who work around each story. The medical assistant is part of that team: they may be the person who greets you, helps you get ready for an appointment, records your information or makes some steps of your care easier.

So when we talk about medical care, we mean the whole journey, well beyond the moment you are sitting with the doctor. From your first consultation, evaluation and testing to treatment and follow-up, many people are working behind every stage. Their work differs from the specialist’s, yet both share the same goal: that you receive clear information, organized care and support throughout your process.

Frequently asked questions

Can the medical assistant give me a diagnosis or explain my results?

Diagnosis, interpretation of results and medical instructions belong to the specialist. The medical assistant can help route your questions so the right professional answers them.

What does the medical assistant do before my appointment?

They may help update your information, prepare your file and get you ready according to the type of visit, so the doctor has your information organized.

How is a medical assistant different from a nurse?

They have different roles within the same team. Nursing takes part in care and follow-up, while the medical assistant supports preparation, record keeping and the coordination of your care, within their assigned duties.

What can I bring to my first consultation to make things easier?

Your previous test results, if you have them (hormone tests, ultrasounds or semen analyses), and a list of your questions. That way the team can put your information together from the start.

A team behind every story

At Ingenes we believe science and humanity have to move forward together. That is why we value every person on our team who, from their role, helps make your experience clearer and more personal.

When you come to Ingenes, a whole team is with you.