A Medical Office Assistant’s Day to Day: Working as a Medical Office Assistant

Every profession within the medical sector must work together to bring patients and their families the care they deserve, and Medical Office Assistants play an essential role in the operation of any medical office. There are many ways to work in the medical field, like through our programs at Robertson. At Robertson, our Medical Office Assistant Diploma Program prepares students with skill sets that will allow them to work in any medical office.

A day in the life of a Medical Office Assistant varies depending on the type of office you are working in. There’s one thing that is sure and that is no matter where you work, whether it’s in the front office or in the back, it’s likely that you’ll be working in a fast-paced environment. Every day is different when you choose a career as a Medical Office Assistant. If one thing’s for sure, it will keep you on your toes. If that work environment is something that interests you, keep reading because we’re going to walk you through a day in the life of what it’s like to work as a Medical Office Assistant.

 

What Does a Medical Office Assistant Do? 

Before we get into the day to day duties of a Medical Office Assistant, let’s give you a quick understanding of what Medical Office Assistants do. The role of a medical office assistant can change depending on the work setting or the position, but in broad terms, medical office assistants provide administrative, technical, and secretarial help and support to other medical professionals. This can include communicating messages from staff to patients or vice versa, entering medical reports, conducting initial patient interviews, scheduling and confirming appointments, and more.

When working as a Medical Office Assistant, you have the opportunity to work in a number of work environments. You can work in a hospital setting, a physiotherapy clinic, a sports injury clinic, chiropractor, dentist, orthodontist, doctor’s office or in the claims department of an insurance company.

1. Support Doctors and Nurses with Daily Tasks

Your most important responsibility as a medical office assistant will be to support the doctors and nurses in their roles. This might consist of taking patient’s vitals before an appointment, preparing an examining room, asking patients questions to learn about their reason for visiting a doctor, and other tasks designed to make appointments run smoothly.

In our Medical Office Assistant Diploma Program we take students through the tasks they will perform to support doctors and nurses so that they’re equipped with well rounded medical office assistant skills.

2. Answer Patient Questions and Respond to Changes in Their Vitals

As a medical office assistant, you will most likely be the first point of contact for patients entering the office. After you check them in and answer any questions they may have about their appointment, they will be in your care until they’re seen by the next health care professional.

This means it’s your responsibility to ensure their well-being during this timeframe and monitor any changes in their condition. This is one of the many reasons medical office assistants require proper training – in order to develop important, and potentially life-saving, medical office assistant skills.

3. Maintain Patient Records

 In our Medical Office Assistant Diploma Program, instructors train students on the electronic platforms used within the medical industry to store patient records.

Having a strong grasp on these programs is vital to the functioning of a medical office as patient records are a key reference point for doctors and nurses looking to create impactful care plans. Some offices still rely on paper records but more and more medical offices are transitioning to electronic models.

4. Coordinate Patient Appointments

In almost all medical offices, coording appointments is a frequent task within the job description. This task may seem straightforward but patients could have complicated needs and questions you will be forced to field.

Learning how to clearly communicate to patients about the expectations of their appointments is thoroughly covered in our Medical Office Assistant Diploma Program as there are all kinds of nuances about this task that make it more complicated than it seems.

For example, explaining to patients how to fast before their appointment, explaining complex medical terminology, and other responsibilities that showcase how medical office assistants make a difference in the lives of the individuals they support.  

5. Oversee Office Needs

Like any office environment, a medical office requires regular maintenance to ensure it has the necessary supplies it needs to function. This is one of the reasons why organization is a good quality to have for anyone thinking of becoming a medical office assistant.

Tasks that fall under office maintenance include ordering new office and medical supplies, organizing patient files, sending out communications on behalf of doctors and other medical professionals, coordinating payments with various vendors, as well as other responsibilities aimed at keeping the business operational.

Other responsibilities they can see throughout their work week include: 

• Greeting and registering patients
• Redirecting or escorting patients to their respective areas
• Addressing patient concerns in person, over the phone, or by email
• Maintaining office and medical supplies.
• Completing administrative and clerical tasks such as medical records, data entry and billing.
• Completing insurance and other claim forms
• Scheduling and confirming client appointments.
• Communicating messages to medical staff and patents.
• Conducting initial interviews with patients to complete forms, documents, and history.

 

A day in the life: 

Medical offices typically open around 8 or 9 a.m., or earlier depending on the type of clinic or office. Depending on what is required of you, you may have to come in half an hour or an hour to prepare for the day before clients come in.

First, Medical Assistants will start the day by logging on to the computer system to look at the schedule to see what is up for the day.

They will:

• Prepare for the day by seeing what type of appointments the physicians have.
•  Schedule and organize charts.
• Fill out paperwork for the day like insurance forms, for example.
• Review the daily patient schedule with the physicians.
• Help prepare exam rooms with the appropriate supplies before each new appointment.
• Listen to any phone messages that came during the previous evening or earlier that morning.
• Check emails and see if there are any urgent requests.
• Answer phones at the front desk.

 

As you can see, the day starts off and continues to be busy throughout. From the moment you start work, it’s likely that you will be scheduling appointments, preparing charts, filing information, walking patients to the room, and more. It’s a very fast-paced and active role in the office.

 

Time for Patients to Arrive

Once the office is open, patients will start to arrive for their scheduled appointments. As patients come in, it’s the Medical Office Assistant’s job to check them in, verify their information and ask them to fill out any necessary forms. After this, and once the physicians are ready, it’s time for the patient’s appointment. Medical Assistants will escort patients from the waiting room into the doctor’s office. At this time, you will use the computer system to enter basic patient information. Next, you will take and record tests for blood pressure and other vitals. 

Once they leave the room, it’s usually time to do it all over again. Patient appointments can sometimes be split up by 15 minutes, but sometimes patients can be early or late, which can mess up the daily schedule. It’s important to keep calm and be easy-going when this happens, because we promise you, it will happen.

When there is time between patient take-ins, Medical Assistants will log on to their computers and reach out to patients or insurance companies for different reasons. They may also need to reach out to get consent forms. This type of admin work depends on the type of medical office you work in. As this is all happening, medical office assistants are simultaneously greeting patients and answering the phones. 

 

After Patient Appointments

Once the patient is done with the physician, it is usually a medical assistant’s job to clean the rooms which includes wiping down the bed, changing the lining and making sure all the equipment is back in place for the next appointment.

 

End-of-day

Even though the physicians have seen all of their patients for the day, the day isn’t done for you just yet. At the end of the day, it’s important to complete any unfinished tasks from the day—you will thank yourself for this the next day. These tasks may include: completing patient charts, scheduling appointments, dealing with prescription refills and returning phone calls. At the end of the day, it is usually much quieter and less busy than the day. This is a great time for catch up and it’s also a chance for you to unwind and prepare for the next day. 

 

Conclusion

As you can see, a day in the life of a Medical Office Assistant is busy, busy, busy. But, at the same time, it’s rewarding. You gain experience in so many different areas and you get to interact with patients and build strong relationships with them. If you are interested in becoming a Medical Office Assistant, consider studying at Robertson.