From administration to patient care: Discover Rafiatou’s career journey as a medical assistant

At Northwell, our medical assistants are committed to our mission in providing the highest quality care to the communities we serve.

Rafiatou Kouanda began her career with Northwell in a temporary medical assistant role in 2020. In 2021, she moved into a permanent role as a medical assistant in internal medicine at Northwell Health Physician Partners (NHPP) in Manhattan.

As a medical assistant, Rafiatou was responsible for clinical and administrative tasks. This included managing patient intakes, obtaining vital signs and medical histories, as well as assisting clinical staff during patient examinations. She also oversaw scheduling, facilitated patient payments and insurance and handled referrals.

This led Rafiatou to her current role as a senior medical assistant at NHPP. As a senior medical assistant, Rafiatou has the same responsibilities she had as a medical assistant, plus the responsibility of training and mentoring new team members and optimizing workflow efficiency.

Rafiatou is passionate about her current role and providing compassionate care to patients throughout their health journey. She credits Northwell with providing her with a career where she feels valued and empowered to grow. “Northwell’s inclusive culture and commitment to employee well-being drives me to succeed,” said Rafiatou. “At Northwell, I am grateful for my work environment, where I am able to fully embrace my professional aspirations and develop my skills.”

Rafiatou is grateful that Northwell invests in her professionally by fostering a work environment that promotes collaboration, teamwork and continuing education. She shared how her team members build her up. “Support from leadership and my colleagues has helped me grow my abilities and stay adaptable as I continue to explore my long-term career goal of attending nursing school in the future,” said Rafiatou.

Grow your career as a medical assistant at Northwell today.