What are the Requirements For Becoming A Medical Office Assistant?

What are the Requirements For Becoming A Medical Office Assistant?

Learn about the requirements for becoming a medical office assistant in Canada. Discover the responsibilities, training, fees, and qualities needed for this rewarding career path.

In Canada, a career as a medical office assistant, also known as a medical office administrator, is rapidly expanding. They play a vital role in the healthcare industry and act as a link between doctors, nurses, and patients. To become an MOA, you need a medical office assistant certificate.

The Key Responsibilities of Medical Office Assistants Include:

They are responsible for customer service within the medical office. Some of them are described below.

  • Providing telephonic as well as in-person receptionist duties, they will greet patients and put them in contact with the appropriate staff.
  • Monitoring the cleanliness of the waiting room.
  • Attending patients in the waiting room by listening to and supporting their concerns and in case of any disruptive behavior employing de-escalating techniques.
medical office assistants
  • Managing patients' files in such a way that allows easy access to them when required.
  • Scheduling and coordinating various tests with the pharmacy.
  • Entering patient’s data and doing billing.
  • Managing medical supplies including inventory checks and sterilizing equipment.
  • Providing input regarding program administration procedures that can affect the delivery of healthcare services.
  • Facilitating administrative support to the healthcare team.

What are the Requirements to Become a Medical Office Assistant?

  • To become a medical office assistant one must hold a secondary school diploma or its equivalent.
  • A candidate must be of 18 years or over.
  • Language proficiency is an essential requirement. Also, assessment through interviews is done to determine suitability.
  • A medical report covering current immunizations is a requirement for the placement of the candidate.

Last but not the least, the candidate should have a positive attitude and genuinely like working with people.

In Canada, most job opportunities will expect a certificate-level education. There is no need for licensure after completing a course.

What is the Duration of the Medical Office Assistant Course?

The duration of the medical office assistant program is approximately 540 hours.

The Fee Structure of the Medical Office Assistant Course

The fees required to complete the course is approximately $9200 which includes application fees, materials, textbooks, and tuition fees.

Tuition fees for domestic students are $8000, while for international students it is lightly higher it is $11,400.

Objectives of the Program

The main objective of the MOA program is to enrich candidates with medical, clerical, and communication skills. In the MOA program, all the aspects required to gain proficiency in this field are covered like keyboarding skills, anatomy, and physiology, clinical procedures, accounting fundamentals, medical billing, and pharmacology.

Through this, the candidate learns how to take a medical history, how the human body functions, procedural setup, how to collect the patient specimen and many more things.

Reasons for Becoming a Medical Office Assistant

Beyond money, there are a variety of reasons why someone might want to work as a medical office assistant. It might be brought on by a rewarding career, a flexible schedule, or other factors.

Let’s discuss them in detail…

Secure Career Path

Medical office assistants are always in high demand to fulfill vital tasks in a variety of offices or clinics. The demand for healthcare professionals will increase to a new height in Canada and is expected to rise 16% between 2020 and 2030. Experts are predicting a rapid increase in general health problems because of various factors involved which will eventually increase the demand for MOA professionals.

Quick and Effective Training

Training programs for MOA are quick and effective and after completing the course, they can immediately start their career and build experience. It also allows a candidate to earn a promotion at earlier stages of their career. 

Personal Fulfillment

MOA is the first point of contact for a patient arriving at the hospital or clinic. They attend to patients with warm smiles, soothe nervous patients with their reassuring nature and answer questions from anxious patients. They help determine which patient requires urgent care and sometimes assist nurses in minor medical procedures. 

secure career path

Flexible Schedule

MOA has chances to work and explore new workplaces. They can go for a good fit schedule according to their lifestyle. 

MOA is required all day and all night so the candidate has the option to choose the best-suited time as per their family and lifestyle.

Rewarding Career

MOAs are eligible for a secure and well-paid career. They can expect a yearly high salary of as much as $51,000. 

Role with Responsibility

MOAs are a foundation of communication in a particular place. They schedule documents, maintain appointments, and need to be familiar with billing practices, insurance rules, and hospital procedures.

Pathway to Enter the Medical Field

If a candidate wants to build a career in the medical field but doesn’t want to invest years in studying and earning a degree. Taking a diploma in medical office assistant is a great way to become a trusted healthcare professional.

Qualities Required in Medical Office Assistant

Besides just theoretical knowledge different traits are expected from an MOA for long-term success. Here are some most important qualities required in a good medical office assistant that can differentiate you from the rest.

Patience

Some days are slower and more peaceful while some days might be at a faster pace and annoying. Some people will deal with you kindly and some with anger but the main task of MOA is to deal patiently with all situations realizing the current state of mind of others.

Staying Organized

It plays a vital role while managing tasks and responsibilities. Staying organized means knowing how to prioritize and perform tasks effectively which helps to create a productive environment for everyone.

effective communication

Effective Communication

The ability to communicate effectively is important in every condition. Delivering the key messages to people whether they are employees or patients is important for proper functionality. 

Energetic and Positive Attitude

It feels good to see someone around you who is full of energy and carries a positive attitude. It can make a significant difference for patients and families who aren’t feeling good vibes around them.

Empathy

To be empathetic means having the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people. Often the medical field is considered a career where one must put aside their emotions but being an MOA showing empathy is considered a good value to connect with patients.

Why Choose Insignia College?

Building a career as a medical office assistant can be very promising, especially with regard to finances and lifestyle. 

Insignia College believes in providing high-quality education to both domestic and international students. We have a team of professionally educated instructors to ensure students receive a quality education with technical training at affordable costs and flexible schedules. We also offer individualized academic plans to fulfill the specific needs of every individual.

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