A Day in The Life of a Medical Office Assistant
Our Medical Office Assistant diploma program prepares students for a career in medical administration. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak , the medical field is experiencing rapid growth, creating demand for a huge range of careers in medical administration.
Our graduates find well-paying jobs in offices, clinics, and hospitals as:
Administrative assistants
Office managers
Medical transcriptionists
Medical billing clerks
Unit/ward clerks
Patient registration clerks
But what does a
typical day in the life of a medical office assistant look like? Given the
scope of job options, there are many possibilities. Our example graduate,
Laura, can fill in the details of what an average workday for her looks like.
Although some of the details might change, any job as a medical office assistant
will include similar tasks and responsibilities.
A Day in the Life: Laura Smith, Clinic Office Manager
Laura is a 29-year-old graduate who works
full-time as Dr. Greene’s office manager. Dr. Greene is a busy cardiologist who
splits her time between her private office, where Laura has worked for three
years, and the local hospital. Laura’s role is to care for all clerical aspects
of Dr. Greene’s practice, while Dr. Greene’s nurse looks after clinical
aspects.
8:00 am: Laura arrives
at the office, ahead of other staff. She unlocks the door, turns off the alarm
and turns on all the computers and tablets. She records a new voicemail stating
today’s availability. Laura listens to voicemail messages and checks office
email, taking note of any cancellations or urgent messages. She calls patients
from her waiting list to fill any same-day cancellation slots.
8:30 am: Greets Doctor
Greene and the office nurse as they arrive, updating them on the day’s schedule
and any urgent patient messages.
9:00 am: Finally, Laura greets the first patient as he arrives. She confirms his demographics and OHIP information is up-to-date in medical record software. After discovering the patient had recent blood work done that is not on his file, she calls the lab to have it sent over immediately before the doctor sees him.
9:30 am: Then Laura continues registering patients as they arrive. In between patient arrivals, she processes all documents that have arrived since the last work day. She files lab work electronically in patients’ electronic medical records, prints off prescription renewals for the doctor to sign, and sets aside referral requests to deal with later in the day.
10:00 am: The phone is
ringing off the hook. Calls include ones from a pharmacist who needs a Limited
Use code for a prescription the doctor just sent in, an Emergency Room nurse
who is caring for one of Dr. Greene’s patients, and another doctor who wants to
speak with Dr. Greene about a mutual patient.
11:00 am: Laura
registers a first-time patient and creates electronic medical record for her.
She helps the patient fill out basic paperwork and enter her demographics and
allergies into her medical record. The new patient forgot her lengthy list of
medications at home, so Laura calls her pharmacy to get a list sent over right
away for the doctor’s review.
12:00 pm: Lunchtime.
12:30 pm: Next, Laura calls tomorrow’s patients to remind them of their appointments. She leaves messages for any who do not answer, reminding them to bring their health card and list of medications.
1:30 pm: Now it’s time to processes referrals. Laura sorts referrals by urgency, according to office guidelines. She finds appointments for each patient, sending their appointment times and instructions to their referring doctor.
2:30 pm: After finding
out that Dr. Greene is attending a conference next Friday that she forgot to
mention, Laura begins rescheduling all of that day’s patients. There are few
openings in the doctor’s schedule, so this task requires patience and
problem-solving.
3:30 pm: Unfortunately a patient arrives without an appointment, explaining that he urgently needs to see the doctor. After asking the patient questions and discussing the situation discreetly with the office nurse, Laura adds him to the day’s schedule.
4:30 pm: However, although the patients should all be gone by now, there are still a few patients to be seen. The doctor is running overtime and patients are restless in the waiting room. Laura stays until all patients are seen, making their follow-up appointments and booking any tests the doctor ordered for them.
5:30 pm: After recording a new voicemail stating that the office is now closed and checking the office e-mail one last time, Laura finishes her workday by turning off the computers and lights, setting the alarm and locking the door.
After reading what a
typical day for Laura looks like, it’s clear that working as a medical office
assistant is a demanding profession that requires:
Multitasking
Attention to detail
Problem-solving skills
Excellent people skills
A career as a medical office assistant can be immensely
rewarding. Medical office assistants act as a liaison between patients who need
help and the practitioners who can offer that help. They assist people in their
most vulnerable moments and help them navigate the healthcare system. Medical
office assistants often make the difference between a patient falling through
the cracks or getting the help they need, when they need it.
If you love people, enjoy being organized, and want to make a difference, then a career as a medical office assistant might be the perfect fit for you!