As a medical office assistant, you are responsible for keeping healthcare facilities running smoothly. In helping to ensure quality care, you are assisting patients, their families and healthcare providers alike.
In this blog, we’ll cover the essentials you need to know about pursuing a career in medical office administration.
Main Responsibilities for Medical Office Assistants
Medical receptionists and medical office assistants work in a variety of healthcare settings, including medical clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices and private practices.
They spend most of their time doing the following day-to-day administrative tasks:
- Scheduling appointments and organizing patient records.
- Communicating professionally with patients and healthcare workers to ensure quality care.
- Operating office equipment, technologies and data management systems.
- Producing medical and financial documents using industry-standard technologies.
- Responding to the unique needs of patients, their family members and the healthcare team.
These responsibilities are a crucial part of the healthcare system, ensuring that healthcare providers have the bandwidth to focus on the most important part of their job — providing quality care – while the necessary administration is handled by professional medical admin assistants.
Skills You Need as a Medical Receptionist/Office Assistant
To fulfill all the responsibilities of the job, medical office assistants need a diverse set of soft skills and technical/hard skills.
Key hard and soft skills for medical office assistants include:
- Data management
- Organizational skills
- Computer skills
- Communication
- Interpersonal skills
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Emotional intelligence
These skills and more allow you to perform daily tasks in medical administration.
Career Outlook for Medical Office Assistants
For aspiring medical office assistants, the future is bright: there are ample career opportunities and an increasing demand for health care in Canada.
In a post-pandemic world and with an aging population, Canada needs more healthcare providers and facilities, and, as a result, more healthcare administrators and medical office assistants.
In fact, over 41,000 new job openings for medical office assistants are expected in Canada by 2031, exceeding the number of job-seekers expected to fill those roles. The demand for medical administration is only increasing, creating a stable and secure future for medical administrative professionals.
Emerging Trends in the Medical Administrative Assistant Field
Looking ahead, what does the future hold for healthcare administration? As technology continues to advance, the field is becoming increasingly digitized and evolving in exciting ways.
New and emerging trends in the medical administrative field include:
- Electronic health records
- Digital health platforms
- Remote booking systems
- Increased virtual care
Medical administrators can expect these trends to continue as technology is increasingly implemented in the healthcare field.
With high demand for administrative roles in healthcare facilities, aspiring medical office assistants have a strong career outlook to look forward to.
Accelerate your career by earning your medical office administration certification through OIHI’s Medical Office Assistant program. With our small class sizes, convenient location in Toronto, experienced faculty and flexible hybrid learning, you’ll be comprehensively prepared for a rewarding career in healthcare administration.
FAQ
How do I become a medical office assistant in Ontario?
To become a medical office assistant in Ontario, completing a post-secondary program or specialized courses is typically required, along with the successful completion of secondary education (jobbank.gc.ca).
What should I expect from a medical office assistant course?
A good medical office assistant program will provide diverse curriculum and practical experience in the field. OIHI’s Medical Office Assistant program covers a variety of subjects, including computer skills, medical transcription and documentation, data management and more. Our program also includes a practicum experience in a real healthcare setting, allowing you to apply your skills and obtain work experience before you have even graduated.
Where do medical office assistants work?
Medical office assistants work in a variety of healthcare settings including:
- Medical clinics
- Hospitals
- Doctor’s offices
- Private practices
- Long-term care homes