What skills do you need to work in a Medical Office?

Often you find yourself applying to Medical Office jobs that mention some of the skills you should have in order to succeed. Nonetheless, this can be a little bit confusing if is your first time applying to this position; especially because in order to work in this field, you need very particular skills that other offices don’t require. Here are the basic skills you need to be successful in a medical office.

High computer skills

Data entry in one of the main and most important tasks in any medical office job. Daily, you are interacting with a lot of patients and all the personal and medical data need to be entered into the system; therefore, accuracy is key, so having an understanding of the software and tools your office use is critical. Here are some affordable certificate options you can take to gain or improve these skills:

• Hunter, Business School, Medical Office Administration Program
• Queens Borough, CUNY, Medical Office Assistant
• Ace Institute of Technology, Medical Office Assistant Office

Good communication

You have to talk to patients and medical staff all-day, so being able to communicate clearly and concisely is ideal. Part of being a good communicator is being a good listener: understanding the other person, being empathetic and have an open mind; these skills will make your communication assertive and will create a harmonious workflow among the staff and the patients. 

Email and phone etiquette

Phone etiquette consists of using a professional tone yet conversational, in other words, being direct but friendly enough so you can keep the conversation going. It is important that you address the urgent matters after a brief hello, always being courteous and giving time to the other person to reply.

Email etiquette in the other hand, is about responding in a good frame of time, avoid using emojis or slang and keep the email straight to the point, remember to include a signature and use a subject line that contains the main idea of the email.

Learn medical terminology

Have the right vocabulary when working at a medical office is vital. Nowadays we have access to free websites and apps that give us access to this information. Here are some free apps you can try if you want to expand your medical vocabulary:

• Farlex
• Medical Group Soft
• Lyric Tech

Be Proactive

Proactivity consists of taking responsibility for your actions rather than just watching how things happen. Being proactive in a medical office is part of the needed skills, here  are some ideas to have that proactivity moving:

• Create an organized schedule with deadlines. By doing so, you will be able to keep track of the important things of the day and keep an eye on the task you have yet to complete.
• Set goals also will motivate yourself to achieve more every day.
• Ask others if you can help them so you can learn about other areas that can amplify your knowledge.

Get more articles like this directly in your email box by subscribing to our Newsletter