Outlook for Administrative Office Assistants in the Medical Field

Kathryn BlankenAOT 134-A03

April 15, 2012

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Job Description

• Health Care Administrative Assistants as described by educationportal.com, preform different types of duties, depending on the type of department and size of facility. Small offices may have their assistants make appointments, greet patients, collect insurance information, issue bills and process payments. In larger office settings, they may be given a specialized department to perform tasks such as medical transcription or keeping up patient records

Education, Experience, and Skills Required• High School Diploma: is the main requirement for a job in the

health care administration department

• Associate’s Degree: some employers may require an associate’s degree for medical administrative program that includes coursework in medical terminology, coding, billing, insurance and transcription.

• Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree: Higher level positions may require these degrees in business administration.

• Employers may require certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support

• Health Care Administrative Assistants must be highly organized with very strong word processing, data entry and have strong phone skills.

• They may also be required to be familiar with medical billing programs and medical terminology.

• Administrative Assistants in Health Care field must be able to work flawlessly, often in hectic, fast-paced offices.

• Good verbal and written communication skills are must so that they can communicate with patients, medical staff and coworkers. Multiple language skills are also a add bonus.

Benefits

Health Insurance

• Most doctor’s offices and hospitals offer health insurance for their staff members that have better health care packages than most and for less cost than most

Job Security

• As the generation known as the baby boomers are closing in on their senior years, health care facilities are in desperate need of staff members in all levels of the medical field

Pay Scale

• Hourly wages range from $9 to $20 per hour depending on skills and experience

Outlook

According to payscale.com job growth in the health care industry is expected to increase by 22% -that is twice the average growth rate for all other occupations. It is projected that during the 2006-2016 time period, demand should continue to grow higher for Health Care Administrative Assistance, raising by an estimated 17% in the same 10-year period. Job growth is expected to be strongest in smaller settings, such as physicians' and dentists' offices, rather than hospitals.

Conclusion

In this day of career instability, why not consider a job in the health care field where there will always be a need for staffing of all types? You have seen the education required, a small introduction to the benefits the job offers, and the outlook for this career. Administrative Office Assistants in the medical field are in high demand along with other health care staffing.

I recommend that everyone at least consider a career in the health care field. I believe you will see both the personal and professional benefits in this career choice.

References

http://education-portal.com/articles/Health_Care_Administrative_Assistants_Job_Outlook_and_Career_Information_for_Health_Administrative_Assistants.html

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Administrative_Assistant/Hourly_Rate

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Office-and-Administrative-Support/Secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm#tab-6

http://sccsc.edu/academics/programs/aot/aotMed.aspx