A career as a medical office assistant offers a variety of opportunities, all built around ensuring the smooth and efficient operations of a medical office, hospital, or healthcare practice. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that between 2023 and 2033, there will be a 15% increase in demand for medical assistants due to the increased needs of individuals who need healthcare*.
What does a Medical Office Assistant do?
A medical office assistant plays a significant role in ensuring the smooth operation of a medical office, healthcare practice, hospital, or clinic by providing both administrative and patient support. Key responsibilities include:
- Greeting and checking in with patients
- Administering patient vitals and recording the data
- Updating and maintaining patient records
- Following up with patients via email
- Answering phone calls
- Supervising the delivery of supplies
- Maintaining inventory
- Collecting insurance information
- Arranging hospital stays for patients.
- Scheduling appointments
- Aiding doctors or nurses during patient appointments and exams
Essential Skills for a Medical Office Assistant
As a member of a medical office team, you will require a range of necessary skills to be an integral part of a medical team. These skillsets include:
- Excellent Communication Skills: Maintaining both verbal and written communication will allow seamless interaction with patients, healthcare professionals, and team members.
- Maintain Confidentiality: As a medical office assistant, you will want to ensure patient privacy and HIPAA regulations are being followed.
- Analytical Skills: It is essential to be able to analyze and interpret medical records, insurance claims, and patients’ needs.
- Close Attention to Details: In a medical office, accurately handling patient records, scheduling appointments, and managing billing is essential to maintaining a smooth operation.
- Friendly and Courteous Personality: Within a medical office, having a positive and welcoming personality elevates the experience for patients, which ultimately can lead to building trust.
- Maintain Accurate Records: As a medical office assistant, it is essential that you keep records up to date with information. This is vital for patients as well as for legal purposes within a medical office.
- Computer Skills: An essential component of a medical office assistant’s role is the ability to operate a computer and software systems as needed by a medical office.
Collectively, these skill sets ensure that a medical office is efficient and patients are satisfied with their experiences.
Key Components of a Medical Office Assistant Job Description
As a medical office assistant, the job requirements can vary depending on the role; however, most job descriptions maintain similar duties, responsibilities, requirements, and qualifications.
Some of the key features within a medical office assistant job description include:
- Schedule appointments for patients are necessary.
- Assist with medical billing.
- Organize and file charts.
- Scanning documents and making copies
- Maintaining inventory of office supplies
- Updating information in a patient’s electronic health record
Some of the requirements and qualifications include:
- High school diploma or GED certificate
- Formal training, certification, or degree
- This can be achieved through specialized programs, such as those offered at Manhattan’s School of Computer Technology (MSCT)
- Administrative experience such as answering phones, maintaining records, or scheduling appointments
- Communication and organizational skills
In addition to the key responsibilities outlined in a medical office assistant’s job description, the specific duties can vary depending on the healthcare setting you choose to work in. For example, working in a large hospital may involve more complex scheduling, planning, and coordination with multiple departments. In contrast, a smaller private practice might focus more on direct patient interaction and administrative support to provide a patient with a friendly experience.
The role can also differ based on the specialty of practice, such as pediatrics, cardiology, women’s health, or dermatology, where the tasks and required knowledge may be more tailored to that specific field. Ultimately, the setting you choose will determine your exact responsibilities and daily tasks you’ll complete.
Steps to Become a Medical Office Assistant
As a medical office assistant, you can work in a variety of different locations. For example, if you wanted to work as a medical office assistant in New York you could take the following steps to meet your career goals:
Step 1: Develop an understanding of what a medical office assistant is and the requirements for the job. Research how different medical offices function and the necessary skills.
Step 2: After your research, you will want to determine what the educational requirements are. Each state has its own set of rules and requirements for a medical office assistant. For example, in New York, the state doesn’t require specific licensure or certifications; however, most medical office assistants often complete a training or educational program for medical office assistants, such as one offered through MSCT.
Step 3: You will want to ensure that you have a good understanding of the technological skills needed to perform various medical office assistant tasks. This is essential for updating electronic health record systems that collect patient information.
Step 4: It is essential to develop and maintain interpersonal skills in any medical profession, including as a medical office assistant. This will allow you to communicate calmly and professionally with patients, their family members, doctors, and other medical staff.
Step 5: Upon completing a medical office assistant program, such as the one offered at MSCT, you will want to begin applying for roles with an updated resume reflecting your formal training. To find positions you’re interested in, you will want to base it on where you want to work and live. For example, if you desire to work in Brooklyn, New York, then you would like to narrow down your search for jobs in this specific region.
Step 6: As you apply for roles, it’s crucial to begin to practice your interview skills. Being well-prepared for an interview can make a significant difference in helping you stand out as a top candidate during the interview process. During the interview, you will want to emphasize and speak about your background, including any formal education or certifications you’ve obtained and any skill sets you’ve developed through previous roles. Additionally, if you’re able to provide specific examples of situations where you’ve applied those skills in real-life scenarios, it can help demonstrate your ability to handle the conditions and responsibilities of a medical office assistant. Tailoring your approach this way will benefit your qualifications, practical experience, and problem-solving skillsets.
Step 7: After receiving a formal job offer, you can begin as a medical office assistant. For example, suppose you get a job in New York. In that case, you could be conducting patient intake, measuring vital signs, acting as a scribe, preparing patients for exams, conducting billing & coding, scheduling appointments, and more.
Start the Process Today and Become a Medical Office Assistant
A rewarding, long-lasting career in healthcare can look different depending on your area of interest. However, pursuing a career as a medical office assistant offers you flexibility, allowing you to work in various medical office settings, from hospitals to clinics and more. By obtaining certification and formal training through a medical office assistant program, such as the one offered at MSCT, you can set yourself on a path to a fulfilling career. Taking this first step today will open the doors to countless opportunities within the healthcare field!
Resources/Additional Information:
*https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm
https://manhattanschool.edu/programs/medical-office-specialist/