Today’s medical facilities rely on a strong team of staff members behind the scenes to keep operations running smoothly. The medical office administrator becomes key to steering the workflow of the medical office and helping doctors and nurses offer the best care possible to patients. Professional training for the role can lead to many different employment opportunities, with the hiring managers of medical offices on the lookout for prospective hires with the right qualifications.
To understand what it takes to make you stand out as a great medical and health administrator, let’s take a look at a grad’s job prospects and three of the top qualities employers look for in their ideal hire.
Where Do Most Grads of Medical and Health Administration Training Get Employed?
Through medical and health administration training, a grad will have learned the skills required to help public health facilities and medical offices run smoothly. These skills incude creating and maintaining medical databases, medical office procedures, medical transcription, sharpened keyboard and Microsoft Office applications proficiency, and much more.
Grads with this specialized training will be able to seek careers in hospitals, medical clinics, doctors’ offices, residential care facilities, and many other medically based organizations. Work opportunities include job titles such as Medical Office Assistant, Medical Administrative Assistant, Clinic Assistant, Medical Transcriptionist, Health Administrator Assistant, Front Office Manager, and Patient Coordinator.
Hiring managers of medical offices will be on the lookout for prospective hires with the right qualifications, as well as a few key personality traits.
They Must Be Compassionate and Trustworthy
The hiring managers of doctors’ offices and other medical facilities want compassionate people on their team. A person coming through the doors of a clinic is usually there because they’re sick, or a family member isn’t well. They will likely be distressed and need a kind and compassionate voice of reason as their first point of contact. Taking health administration courses helps equip students with the skills
needed to effectively field and direct patients from the moment of their arrival.
The medical office administrator must also prove to be trustworthy and be committed to practicing the utmost discretion when dealing with the private medical records and files of each patient. With the responsibility of having access to these sensitive patient details, medical administrators must ideally be committed to demanding equally ethical behaviour of their colleagues.
They Must Be a Great Communicator and Team Player
A great medical office administrator will be able to demonstrate superior communication skills, necessary for successfully relaying information to patients and their families as well as nurses, doctors, and other health workers. They must know how to be diplomatic for mediating any conflicts that come up, and be able to adequately explain their medical office’s policies to patients.
A person in this role must also understand how to be an effective team player, recognizing the job can’t be achieved alone. The role is reliant on building good relationships with all members of staff of the medical facility, with a commitment to achieving the level of trust and mutual respect needed for managing and coordinating each scheduled day harmoniously as a team.
They Must Be Organized and Quick-Thinking Problem Solvers
The medical and health administrator becomes the backbone of the busy medical establishment by keeping things well organized and structured, relying on sharp time management and thorough record-keeping skills. To perform day-to-day tasks as efficiently as possible, the administrator will turn to the many skills acquired in their professional training, from medical terminology, medical transcription, OHIP billing and administration, and more.
In such a fast-paced environment, the medical administrator must also be able to think logically and critically. Whether a record gets lost, the schedule gets jostled, or anything else unexpected comes up, a great medical administrator will be able to quickly find a solution and be able to handle the event calmly.
Are you looking for a rewarding and challenging medical career where you can make a difference in your community?
Get the professional training you need to earn a medical and health administration diploma!