Medical office assistants (MOA) or nursing unit clerks are careers in the medical field. Their significance is to run the facility smoothly and effectively. Firstly the key difference is that the unit clerks do clerical tasks only. On the other hand, medical office assistants have several duties to perform. However, both careers are similar and, at the same time, different from each other. This article will elaborate on this in detail.
Secondly to make a broad job description for both careers is that they are the administrative sides of healthcare facilities. Lastly, they help to run facilities smoothly. These facilities include hospitals, private clinics, and public clinics.
Job and Responsibilities as a Unit Clerk
The primary responsibilities are to provide communications and clerical support in the nursing unit. More specifically, their duty includes: Job
- Answering the phone calls and replying to emails.
- Greeting patients.
- Communication with patients, families and healthcare providers.
- Booking appointments.
- Maintaining patient charts.
- Processing billing.
- Transcribing doctors’ orders.
- Scheduling tests, arranging for equipment, and transportation of patients.
- Inventory management.
- Preparing staff timesheets.
Job and Responsibilities as a Medical Office Assistant
Similarly, many of the responsibilities are the same as the unit clerk. Moreover, they can also enjoy clinical tasks like:
- Measuring weight and height of patients.
- Helping during minor procedures and exams.
- Collecting samples.
- Preparing clean exam rooms.
- Checking patient’s blood pressure, respiration rate, body temperature, and pulse rate.
However, both roles are similar to each other. The difference comes where MOAs enjoy the liberty of contacting more with patience that all depends on their workplace needs.
Working Environments for Unit Clerk
They are typical workers of hospitals, long-term healthcare facilities, and hospices. Their offices are working around the clock, and clerics will have to do night shifts and weekends.
- Medical labs.
- Doctors offices.
- Walk-in clinics.
- Diagnostic medical imaging centers.
- Massage therapy clinics.
- Dental offices.
- Physiotherapy clinics
Medical Office Assistant working Environment
They can also work in the same places as unit clerks have occupied. However, primarily they are assigned outpatient settings like Medical office assistants who did possess offices and had to work regular business hours instead of shifts.
The Salary they Earn
The wages of medical office assistants and unit clerks are almost the same in Canada. It is $19.27 per hour for unit clerks. However, medical office assistant goes up to $20 per hour. Consequently working full-time, the unit clerk can earn up to $40,000 a year, and medical office assistants earn up to $43,600 a year.
Required Skills
Medical terminology
The appropriate knowledge of the medical language is essential. Therefore it is necessary to learn basic human anatomy and physiology.
Computer skills
They need to work as administrative professionals. So it is vital to have excellent keyboard skills, and they should have mastered Microsoft Office applications like Excel, MS Office and Outlook.
Communication skills
They will have to interact constantly with medical staff, patients and their families belonging to different cultures and backgrounds. That makes communication skills to be very critical for effective communication. In short, clear communication helps ensure that required information is delivered.
Management skills
It is also essential to know how to keep documents and files arranged and how to make schedules and appointments? It is necessary to stay ahead of deadlines, whether you’re transcribing recordings of doctors, making updates required inpatient charts and setting up appointments.
Interested in this Career?
If you are interested in any of these careers, our college Bay River offers a 34-Weeks Unit Clerk & Medical Office Administration diploma program that can qualify for medical office administration and unit clerks. No doubt that the graduates from Bay River College are hired immediately. However still, if you need more information, our admission advisors will be happy to answer all your queries. Above all, they will guide you through financial aid, admission requirements, career options, costs, etc.
