Medical Office Assistant

Overview

If you’re looking for a rewarding career in healthcare administration, you’ll love being a Medical Office Assistant.

Stenberg College’s Medical Office Assistant Diploma Program will prepare you to work with healthcare professionals. You'll learn the skills necessary to assist in preparing patients for physicians, surgeons and practitioners, as well as how to perform general office and medical office duties.

To find out more about how you can enjoy an exciting career in the healthcare field as a Medical Office Assistant, read on... 

Typical Job Duties

Medical Office Assistants perform a variety of administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians and other healthcare practitioners running smoothly.

Your duties will include:

  • Being part of the primary healthcare team
  • Interacting with a variety of patients of all ages and backgrounds
  • Ensuring that necessary patient chart information is compiled and ready to be referenced for patient visits. This may include electronic medical records.
  • Answering telephones, greeting patients, and updating and filing patients’ medical records
  • Recording patient data
  • Following up on inconsistencies and information that needs to be tracked down
  • Developing spreadsheets and documents using word processors
  • Managing databases
  • Filling out insurance forms and managing private invoicing
  • Handling incoming and outgoing correspondence
  • Scheduling clinic and referral appointments
  • Arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services
  • Performing billing and bookkeeping 

Potential Employers

As a Medical Office Assistant, you’ll find opportunities for employment with a:

  • Family practice, walk-in clinic, specialist’s office, primary healthcare organization, or enhanced full family practice
  • Physiotherapist
  • Podiatrist
  • Naturopath
  • Midwife
  • Acute, sub-acute and non-acute care facility, e.g. long-term care home or extended care home
  • Allied care facility, such as a billing service bureau or medical insurance company
  • Society or agency related to healthcare
  • Private surgical centre

Top Reasons to Take This Program

  1. It’s offered in a condensed format, saving you time and allowing you to enter the workforce quickly so you can start earning a wage sooner.
  1. It’s a comprehensive program that covers the theoretical and practical skills that employers require. Practicum hosts and employers are impressed with the level of training that Stenberg College graduates demonstrate on the job.
  1. This is a fun program that allows for different learning styles and an opportunity to develop and grow as an individual, to work as part of a team, and to make valuable contacts in the industry.
  1. Each instructor is an expert in the content area being taught. Instructors have real world experience, so they can draw upon their own extensive work scenarios to broaden your education.
  1. The program is regularly reviewed and updated in consultation with industry to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of employers.
  1. More than simply learning a set of technical skills, our programs inspire and enhance personal growth and development.  Stenberg College is committed to empowerment through education and ensures that students have the fundamental skills to excel in their program and to succeed in their life, both personally and professionally .
  1. In its commitment to student success, Stenberg College offers its students an unparalleled range of support services including free ESL programs, study and life skills coaching, typing tutorials and campus life events. 
  1. Our Career and Graduate Services staff members organize industry presentations on a quarterly basis.  Recruiters come and speak directly to students prior to graduation.  We are committed to helping you find employment immediately upon graduation. 

Speak to your Program Advisor for more details.

Wages and Career Outlook

Wage and career outlook information is difficult to predict. Unlike other occupations, opportunities in healthcare are driven by current government policy rather than the business cycle. Based on employment statistics gathered by Stenberg College, the wage range of students who completed the Medical Office Assistant program and are working in their field of study is $10 to $19 per hour.

The following list shows some other sources for career research. Please realize that these figures are based on groupings of a large number of related jobs. Wages and career outlook may differ due to your education level, job location, and the type of employer you work for. By no means is this a comprehensive list, but it is a place to start:

Is This Program for You?

It is if you:

  • like working with people
  • have good communication skills and are able to work as part of a team
  • have an eye for detail and can multi-task
  • enjoy working on computers. You can expect information technology to be a large and growing part of your work.
  • can maintain confidentiality
  • want to work in an office

Program Admission Requirements

  • Completion of Grade 12 or 19 years of age or older
  • Passing Entrance Examination with a score of 70% or more (Canadian Adult Achievement Test:  Reading, Spelling & Math)
  • Passing formal entrance interview with a score of 70% or more
  • Successful completion of a short written essay
  • Passing Verbal Test of English if English is a Second Language
  • Minimum typing speed of 20 wpm

Additional Program Requirements
Students must provide the following to their Program Advisor prior to program start:

  • Acceptable criminal record check
  • Acceptable medical examination report
  • Negative TB test report or clear chest X-ray
  • Immunizations as required by industry at time of application

Duration and Financing

Duration: 33 weeks including a practicum

Financing: You could be eligible for HRDC funding, government student loans and other financing options; the Stenberg College Financial Aid Officer would be happy to provide further assistance.

Additional Certification

The program also includes essential industry-related training and certification in:

First Aid & CPR Level One
You’ll receive certificates in both basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Program Courses

Orientation and Student Success Skills
This course will provide a comprehensive orientation to Stenberg College and the program you have enrolled in.  As with all new things, there will be some challenges to overcome; however, with this course, you will become familiar with your new environment and the resources available for your use.  You will gain effective learning and study strategies and will participate in life skills exercises that teach communication, accountability, teamwork, self-awareness and build understanding of the impact you have on others.

Keyboarding
This course is designed to introduce students to the Windows environment and typing programs. You’ll focus on the development and maintenance of accurate keyboarding skills and work to maintain the minimum typing requirement set by the program.

Computer Fundamentals
You’ll be introduced to – and gain skill working in – the Windows environment, as well as Outlook, Internet Explorer, and Excel. Special emphasis will be placed on using MS Word proficiently.

Medical Terminology
This intensive, fast paced course is an introduction to the world of medical terminology and is designed to provide the foundation for all subsequent courses.  You’ll become familiar with various medical word parts, become fluent in the pronunciation and spelling of these parts, and become proficient with the building and breaking down of medical terms to determine meaning. It’s essential for all healthcare professionals to be able to function effectively and safely in a medical environment; therefore, you must be competent and accurate in the use of medical terminology on the job.

Anatomy/Physiology/Pathology
This course will cover body systems and sense organs. Teaching about each system will include: an overview of that system’s general function; system parts, their specific function and location; relationship with other systems; and common pathologies including lab and diagnostic tests, signs and symptoms and prognosis of those pathologies.

Professional Communications
The focus here is on appropriate communication skills, including verbal, non- verbal and written methods. You’ll examine the benefits of working as a team and adopt effective strategies to manage stress. You’ll be given many opportunities to practice these skills through class discussions, case studies, and individual and group activities.

Pharmacology
This course will introduce you to pharmaceutical terms and regulations that govern the drug industry. You’ll gain the knowledge necessary to communicate information between patients, pharmacists and physicians.  Emphasis is on the classifications, spelling, and pronunciation of the most commonly ordered prescription medications. The study of related abbreviations, symbols, routes of administration and systems of measurement used in prescriptions will also be discussed. 

Transcription
You’ll learn and apply the principles of accurate medical transcription, gaining experience and practice in the transcription of a variety of medical reports from dictated medical procedures. An emphasis will be placed on speed and accuracy, as well as proofreading skills and the effective use of reference materials.

Medical Office Procedures
This course will introduce you to the duties and procedures necessary to work in a healthcare setting. Topics covered include: reception skills, appointment scheduling, telephone techniques, interpersonal skills, stress
management, inventory control, mail processing, filing, and record management
procedures. Medical law, ethics and financial records will also be covered.

Clinical Procedures
This course is designed to provide the Medical Office Assistant with the skills to perform basic clinical procedures, including the use and management of medical equipment and the knowledge required to maintain infection control. When you take this course, you will assist a physician with specific examinations and procedures and will perform basic diagnostic tests.

Medical Billing
In this course, you’ll be introduced to all aspects of effective medical billing and will become familiar with procedures and forms related to alternate billing, including: Workers' Compensation Board, ICBC, Department of Veterans' Affairs, RCMP, out-of-province billing, and medical-legal billing. The emphasis will be on understanding and using the preamble and fee schedule from BCMA and using this knowledge to handle claims manually and bill electronically to the provincial insurer. You will also become competent in the WOLF billing system and aspects of the operation of a paperless office system.

Career Search Strategies
This course focuses on developing professional job search techniques, including; learning styles, leadership styles and success strategies.  You will learn how to effectively complete application forms, create cover letters and resumes, build skills and confidence for job interviews, and research labour market trends; all tasks related to getting and keeping a job.

Practicum
Your practicum will give you the opportunity to practice the skills you’ve learned in the MOA classroom, and to further develop and master those skills. This course will provide you with practicum experiences that will refine your skills to the level of competency required as a Medical Office Assistant. 

MOA Policies and Procedures Review
After the practicum, you’ll present on the policies and procedures observed in the medical office practicum setting and you’ll have the opportunity to begin development of an office policies and procedures manual for future use. You’ll also have an opportunity to gain familiarity with many components of the paperless office including messaging, recording immunizations, prescription processing, entering patient histories, and importing results.