With numerous patients going in and out of a doctor’s office the whole day, a medical office assistant makes managing such a fast-paced environment doable. Working in a doctor’s office provides a fresh experience all the time as each patient’s personality and needs are different. If helping other people genuinely brings a smile to your face and you are looking for a job that breaks the monotony of a daily routine, then you might want to consider becoming a medical office assistant.

Keep on reading to learn what might be in store for you if you choose this career path.

A medical office assistant provides administrative and technical assistance to healthcare providers.

What Does a Medical Assistant Do in a Doctor’s Office?

Depending on the specific role and workplace setup, each medical office assistant’s job description may differ. You may end up working in a family doctor’s clinic or at the office of a chiropractor, podiatrist, or ophthalmologist. Regardless, in general, you would offer administrative and clinical assistance to these medical practitioners, provide customer support, and act as the messenger between the patients and the doctors.

What are Some General Responsibilities of Medical Office Assistants?

The daily tasks of a medical office assistant may include:

• answering phone calls and emails
• checking voice mails and returning phone calls
• booking, confirming, canceling, or rescheduling appointments
• greeting and checking in patients at the front desk
• registering clients
• screening patients
• taking and recording the patient’s vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, and pulse rate
• ushering patients to their respective treatment rooms
• printing or faxing prescriptions
• processing payments and issuing receipts
• filling out insurance forms
• following up with insurance companies
• relaying messages between the clients and healthcare professionals
• entering patient information into the system
• sorting files
• managing the inventory of medical and office supplies
• cleaning treatment rooms and changing the bed lining
• refilling medical supplies and returning all of the medical equipment to their proper place
• preparing blood samples for lab tests
• discarding used medical supplies
• sterilizing medical tools

Sara Shaban, Medical Administrative Specialist program instructor at Eastern College, said the utmost responsibility of a medical office assistant is maintaining confidentiality. And in this context, confidentiality does not refer only to the patient’s but rather includes even that of the healthcare professionals, department, and your colleagues.

A medical assistant in a doctor’s office deals with a fast-paced environment.

“As a medical office assistant, we play a vital role as the gatekeeper when booking appointments, maintain a positive and professional relationship with the physician and the patients, and advocate for both parties,” said Shaban, who carries 18 years of medical administrative experience under her belt. She has carried out different roles ranging from being a clinical administrator to a triage administrative coordinator. “It is important to always ask questions in this role; never assume as that could lead to a detrimental error if you are not careful,” she added.

Shaban would also like to caution aspiring medical office assistants from taking for granted terms such as “code of conduct” and “work ethic”. “In today’s healthcare field, more than ever, we need skilled, accountable, and adaptable medical administrative professionals,” she explained.

Medical Office Assistant Salary

How much does a medical assistant make? According to Job Bank, hourly wages in Canada average at $18 and may go as high as $25. In the Atlantic Region, the hourly rates are as follows:

Province	Median	High
Newfoundland and Labrador	19.27	23.34
Prince Edward Island	17.52	23.34
Nova Scotia	17	22
New Brunswick	17.95	25.13

How to Become a Medical Office Assistant

If you want to pursue a career as a medical office assistant, go for post-secondary credentials such as a diploma or certificate from a college or university. This will help you set your foot in the door and gain an edge over other applicants.

Upon program completion, you should be:

• well-versed in medical terminologies in anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology
• adept at computer fundamentals including accounting applications and the latest medical office software and tools used by clinics nationwide
• skilled at interacting with patients, medical practitioners, and other stakeholders in your field
• familiar with the administrative workflow and protocols in medical offices
• updated with government healthcare regulations
• knowledgeable on different drug classes and their various treatment applications
• capable of medical transcription
• proficient at carrying out clinical procedures performed in a medical office such as handling prescriptions, helping patients with their exams, and diagnostic testing
• comfortable with multitasking and working in a team setting

Eastern College offers a Medical Office Assistant online diploma program with a flexible learning environment and options to learn at your own pace. You can choose between full-time (32 weeks) and part-time (64 weeks) options to fit your busy schedule. Visit our Medical Office Assistant (Online) program page to learn more.

Visit our Medical Administrative Specialist page to learn more about our program.