Medical Office Assistant

In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.

The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used. Here is how this occupation has been classified over time:

• 2006 NOC: Medical Secretaries (1243) 
• 2006 NOC-S: Medical Secretaries (B213) 
• 2011 NOC: Medical administrative assistants (1243) 
• 2016 NOC: Medical administrative assistants (1243) 

Duties and responsibilities vary from one type of health-care organization to another. In general, medical office assistants answer the telephone, schedule and confirm medical appointments, greet patients, and take messages. They may perform any or all of the following duties:

• Use health software and other computer applications to book appointments or prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, letters, case histories, and medical records
• Interview patients to complete intake forms or other documents, or help patients complete health history forms
• Transcribe handwritten notes, electronic dictation, or oral instructions
• Complete insurance and other claim forms
• Submit billing claims
• Process payments, bank documents, and accounts receivable
• Set up and maintain records management systems, including classifying and coding electronic and hard-copy files
• Operate complex office equipment such as voice mail systems, photocopiers, fax machines, and document scanners
• Keep examination areas clean, orderly, and stocked with supplies
• Perform minor medical duties, such as preparing the consultation room
• Take vital signs and help with examinations
• Use word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software to prepare medical documents
• Perform other clerical and administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies

In large offices, these duties may be divided among several people.

Medical office assistants work in health-care settings. They may work standard office hours or be required to work some evenings and weekends. Much of their shift is spent on their feet. Those who work in hospitals and doctors’ offices may regularly be exposed to contagious diseases.

Medical office assistants need:

• Discretion
• Communication, organizational, and time-management skills
• Attention to detail
• Interpersonal skills to establish a professional rapport with and instil confidence in patients
• Conflict-resolution skills to deal effectively with the sometimes difficult behaviours of people in distress
• The ability to maintain accuracy while multitasking or working under pressure
• A mature attitude toward the human body, wellness, and disease processes
• The ability to work independently or as part of a team

They should enjoy dealing with people. They should be comfortable operating equipment such as computers and photocopiers. They should like compiling and organizing information.

Medical office assistants work in:

• Doctors’ offices
• Hospitals
• Medical clinics and other health-care settings
• Public and private insurance companies
• Health software companies

In large organizations and with experience, they may move into supervisory positions.

Medical office assistants are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 1243: Medical secretaries. In Alberta, 88% of people employed in this classification work in the Health Care and Social Assistance (pdf) industry.

The employment outlook (pdf) in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• Trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry)
• Location in Alberta
• Employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• Occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• Size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

In Alberta, the B213: Medical Secretaries occupational group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 3.9% from 2016 to 2020. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 94 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.