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The heart of a clinic: Medical Office Assistant & Unit Clerk

Get ready to shine in this exciting role

Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to improve yourself while helping others in your community. You’ve read all about the benefits of becoming a Medical Office Assistant & Unit Clerk, and you’ve signed up for the 5 month program at MCG. Before you know it, you’ll be job-ready with the skills and confidence you need to excel in this role.

If you’re like many of us, even though you’ve got what it takes to do a good job, you’re full of those dreaded new-job-jitters that creep up and test your confidence. New roles always have a learning curve and it’ll take some time before your master your craft and get into a daily groove. To help get you there more quickly, we’ve outlined what the work of a Medical Office Assistant and Unit Clerk (MOA) typically looks like. Knowing this ahead of time will take some of the unknown out of your first few days and get you into your new job with ease.


The heart of the workplace
Medical Office Assistant and Unit Clerks are integral members of the health care team. The work environment can include everything from doctors offices, to medical or dental clinics, physiotherapy offices, spas, naturopathic facilities and even massage therapy offices. By combining the skills of a unit clerk to the medical office assistant training, you’re widening your workplace playing field to include hospitals, Alberta Health Services, public and private insurance companies, continuing care centres or even health software companies.

Regardless of the environment, you’ll play a vital role in the function and operations of your workplace. The Medical Office Assistant and Unit Clerk’s main duties include accessing and transmitting health information in a secure environment while supporting and communicating with medical professionals. After completing training, MOAs and Unit Clerks are proficient in medical office procedures, organization, the structure and chart management functions of patient records, computer software, emerging client care software, basic billing duties, office procedures and health information law in a client-care setting. With important patient details in their hands and a team to support, it’s no wonder the MOA and Unit Clerk is at the heart of the office. As the main touch-point between patients and medical professionals, a well-trained MOA and Unit Clerk not only make a huge difference for their team, but for clients and patients as well.


Core duties
As the centre of the office environment, medical office assistants are the go-to support doctors and other health-care professionals. They perform a wide variety of clerical and administrative tasks. Add to this the skills of a unit clerk and the list is impressive! Typical tasks include: a variety of reception, clerical and administrative duties, scheduling appointments, word processing, billing, data entry, filing and answering telephone calls. They may also perform minor medical duties, such as taking vital signs and preparing consultation rooms. Performing these skills with confidence and proficiency means your team members are able to do their jobs more efficiently as well, and in the end, the client receives the best care possible.

While performing these tasks, MOAs and Unit Clerks continuously check-in with the medical professionals they are supporting — doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and other team members — to see if there are any other administrative duties that need to be handled.


A unique role in health and wellness

A Medical Office Assistants & Unit Clerks is a unique and innovative role blends clinical and administrative duties to provide quality patient care and ensure a well-functioning work environment. MOAs are often the first point of contact with the public and play a key role in creating a good impression for patients and visitors. With the right amount of challenge, this career sets a great foundation for future prospects in the health and wellness industry, and serves as a stepping stone to other interesting opportunities.

If you haven’t signed up yet, MCG Career College is currently accepting applications for the Medical Office Assistant & Unit Clerk program starting either October 21, 2019 or in January 2020! Be part of a community of innovators in health and wellness training, and be empowered with the confidence and skills you need to become successful in your career and a leader in your community. In the meantime, stay connected — follow MCG Career College on social!