Do You Need a Degree to Work as a Medical Office Administrator?

The healthcare field is growing rapidly, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that clinics, hospitals and other organizations will have approximately 1.9 million job openings per year between 2023 to 2033. Although becoming a physician requires many years of schooling, there are many other rewarding jobs in the healthcare industry with much less intensive education requirements. One of them is the role of medical office administrator. Read on to find out more.

Medical Office Administrator Job Description

Medical office administrators don’t care for patients. And yet, the work that they do is essential in ensuring that patients receive great care!

By doing things like organizing files, scheduling appointments, collecting payments, and processing insurance paperwork, medical office administrators make sure that their colleagues in clinical roles like doctors and nurses can put 100% of their energy into caring for patients without being distracted by all of the other tasks that are required to make a medical facility function smoothly.

What type of person makes a good medical office administrator? People in this position need good organizational skills and attention to detail. Although they don’t provide care to patients, they will still work with patients often in more of a customer service capacity, so they need good people skills. Because medical office administrators handle sensitive information about the medical history of patients, they need to be conscientious about abiding by confidentiality regulations.

How to Become a Medical Office Administrator

It doesn’t take a four-year or two-year degree to work as a medical office administrator. To start your journey as a medical office administrator, you’ll only need a high school diploma. However, because the role does require some specialized knowledge, most medical office administrators prepare for their careers by going through a specialized training program like the one offered by IMBC.

Some of the topics covered in a reputable medical office administrator training program, besides those already mentioned, include:

• Medical billing and coding basics
• Electronic health records
• Health insurance practices
• Patient confidentiality
• Budgeting and purchasing

 

Once you complete your training program, you can start applying for jobs immediately. Although professional certifications for medical office administrators do exist, and it might be a good career move to pursue them later on, no certification is required to start working in the medical office administration field. That means that you can start a new career in the healthcare industry much quicker with this role than with many others.

Becoming a Medical Office Administrator with IMBC

IMBC offers a fully online medical office administrator diploma program which can be completed in about 12 months. By taking courses online, you can balance preparing for a better career around your current work responsibilities. IMBC is accredited by the Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), and graduates of our online medical office administrator program will be fully prepared to hit the ground running at hospitals, doctors’ offices, dental offices, nursing care facilities, or outpatient care centers. Enroll today or contact us to find out more!