If you’ve heard the phrase, “medical office administrator”, you might be thinking, what does a medical office administrator do, and more specifically, what is medical office administration? We’re glad you’ve asked because you came to the right place to find answers to these questions about medical office administration.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- The types of tasks performed by medical office administrators
- Where medical office administrators work
- The personality traits of successful medical office administrators
- How to train to become a medical office administrator
Medical Office Administrator Basics
As a medical office administrator, you’ll complete a wide variety of tasks that support a doctor’s office. You’ll be one of the key people that make sure the office runs smoothly. Let’s take a closer look at the types of things that medical office administrators support.
When you go to the doctor, dentist or a clinic, you interact with people besides actual doctors and nurses. For example, someone greets you when you arrive, helps you schedule appointments over the phone, checks you in, helps you with your billing questions and more. These tasks are typically completed by a medical office administrator.
As a medical office administrator, you might also be in charge of organizing and reordering supplies, working with patients and insurers on billing matters, handing medical records and more.
Where Medical Office Administrators Work
As a medical office administrator, you’ll typically work in a healthcare setting such as hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices or nursing care facilities. The work environment for medical office administrators is typically a front desk with a computer and phone. Medical office administrators typically work 40 hours per week (that’s 8 hours per day, Monday through Friday) and can be paid hourly or receive a fixed salary. If a healthcare office is open in the evenings or on the weekends (such as a urgent care center), you might have shifts during those times as well.
This type of work environment is great for someone who does not want to be standing on their feet all day (like working retail or food service), and someone who likes having a bit of activity walking around the office, sitting and working the desk, or helping with supplies inventory.
Personality Traits of Successful Medical Office Administrators
Do you have what it takes to be a successful medical office administrator? The types of traits and skills that will help you find success include:
- Friendly and caring attitude
- Professional appearance and manners
- Excellent customer service skills
- Attention to detail
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Comfort working with computers
How to Train to Become a Medical Office Administrator
To become a medical office administrator, many people will go back to school to obtain a diploma in medical office administration, which you can typically earn online, part-time and under a year. Online is a great option if you have a busy schedule as a parent or you want to work while you go back to school. It can also save you time and money because you won’t need to drive or take a bus to campus. You just log in!
Online schools, like the Institute of Medical and Business Careers (IMBC), provide students with support over the phone and via email, so you can still have personal interaction with school instructors and staff.
Getting started is easy. Just contact a school like IMBC to learn more and you’ll be on your way to a rewarding career.