Considering Healthcare School in BC? A Day in the Life of a Medical Office Assistant

Posted by AOLCC | 26th April 2022

Working in healthcare can be incredibly rewarding, allowing individuals to help and care for patients who need additional support.  By becoming medical office assistants, students interested in healthcare can play a pivotal role—serving as the patient’s first point of contact while assisting in other key administrative tasks.  

Due to the nature of their work, medical office assistants require a diverse skill set. They need to create a positive and professional first impression with patients while also performing tasks to help maintain the functions and operations of the health institution. Here, having professional training and experience can make a big difference, preparing students for success in the field. Read on to discover what you can anticipate gaining from your medical office assistant training and career.

Responsibilities to Expect When Working as a Medical Office Assistant

A typical day in a medical office assistant’s life can vary depending on their environment, giving them the opportunity to take on administrative tasks as well as reception duties. These responsibilities generally include direct communication with patients—escorting them to exam rooms, explaining certain medical procedures, and booking appointments.

As a medical office assistant, you’ll also likely work on updating patient records, communicating with labs and insurance companies, maintaining medical inventory, and ordering new supplies and equipment as needed. Because medical office assistants also work in an office space, you may expect to handle computers, printers, scanners, and other relevant equipment to facilitate clerical tasks. This can be anything from digitizing key records to ensuring that all devices are operating smoothly. 

Medical office assistants rely on their strong communication skills to directly work with patients

Developing Key Skills for Success in Your Medical Office Assistant Program

Successful medical office assistants rely on various skills to accomplish their daily responsibilities. In addition to knowing how to adapt to the changing needs of a busy office, you’ll need to rely on excellent customer service as well as written and verbal communication skills. As you work to conduct your administrative duties, you’ll likely need to apply your organization, inventory management, as well as computer and data entry skills. 

By choosing to study healthcare in BC and starting your medical office assistant training, you’ll gain the necessary insights and experience to succeed in this field. Your program will cover comprehensive medical administrative knowledge, in-depth hospital administrative knowledge of nursing units, emergency response codes, workplace ethics, and processing medication, laboratory and doctor’s orders to name a few. This will also be combined with office training and on-site work experience, where you’ll participate in a 160-hour Clinical Preceptorship at an approved healthcare facility. 

Students completing their medical office assistant program learn key skills to become employment-ready

Exploring New Career Environments after Medical Office Assistant Training

After completing a medical office assistant program, you’ll be fully qualified to work in either a hands-on administrative or clinical capacity. By completing your training, you’ll also be eligible to achieve the CMAP (Certified Medical Assisting Professional) designation, enhancing your credentials and becoming an even stronger candidate for future career opportunities.

Your diploma will allow you to fast-track your career, preparing you for employment success through high-quality instruction and on-site clinical preceptorships. This will help you gain the experience and insight you need to work in various healthcare settings, including physicians’ offices, clinics, and walk-in care centres. Through your hard work and dedication, you’ll be playing an invaluable role in boosting your team’s efficiency, streamlining essential operations, and providing quality support to patients in need. 

Are you interested in attending a healthcare school in BC?

Contact AOLCC BC for more information!