Medical assisting is an allied health profession whose practitioners function as members of the health care delivery team and perform administrative and clinical procedures. Administrative duties may include scheduling and receiving patients, preparing and maintaining medical records, performing administrative procedures and medical transcription, handling telephone calls and writing correspondence, serving as a liaison between the physician (including telephone screening) and other individuals, and managing practice finances. Clinical duties may include asepsis and infection control, taking patient histories and vital signs, performing first aid and CPR, preparing patients for procedures, assisting the physician with examinations and treatments, collecting and processing specimens, performing selected diagnostic tests, and preparing and administering medications as directed by the physician and as permitted by state law.