 Welcome to Taking Messages in a Medical Office. Physicians cannot personally answer all calls made to their offices. As a medical assistant, it is important for you to accurately record messages for the physician. In this activity, you will be shown how to take messages and then be asked to demonstrate what you've learned. Taking a few basic steps can help you take accurate messages. Use a standard form that keeps copies for follow-up purposes. An example form can be seen below. Color code messages, if more than one doctor is in the practice. Writes legibly, certain information must always be recorded. Always record the date. Always record the time. Always write complete details of each message. Always initial the slip so the physician knows who took the message. Always verify the phone number and area code of the caller. Now it's your turn. There are three things wrong about the message below. See if you can spot them. The date, phone number, and initials are missing. There are four things wrong with the message below. See if you can spot them. The time, last name, and initials are missing, as well as the area code is not included with the phone number. Let's do a final check. Did you write legibly? Include date and time? Verify the phone number including area code? Give specific details of the call? Initial it. Congratulations. This concludes the activity on taking messages in a medical office.