Tag Archives: Career Opportunities

How To Earn A Higher Salary As A Medical Secretary?

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So you’ve achieved your goal of working as a medical secretary and you’re earning a decent wage. Now you’re ready to start working towards advancement. You could be earning more than you are. Read below for some tips on how to get ahead.

GET ACCREDITED

If you don’t already have accreditation, you should get it. With formal proof of your skills, you will be in a much better position to demand a higher wage. Evening and weekend courses will allow you to work and study at the same time. There are also an increasing number of online options, which will save you the time and expense of commuting to a campus.

GET (A VARIETY OF) EXPERIENCE

Don’t feel obliged to stay with your current employer. You may be comfortable where you are, but after a few years you’ll have learned everything you can from that job. Moving on to another office will give you the opportunity to learn new skills, since every employer does things a little differently. And with a letter of recommendation from your old boss, you’ll be able to look for something that pays a bit more, too.

JOIN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Professional Associations, like the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), offer opportunities to find new jobs, network with other professionals in your field, and participate in lifelong career training. Often what’s taught through the local branch of your association will be more immediately relevant to you than the general topics covered in post-secondary institutions. Additionally, professional associations almost always have volunteer positions that will make your resume look very impressive.

JOIN A UNION

Unions take all the work out of negotiating for a higher wage and better benefits. If you hear about a union forming in your field, consider supporting it. There are pros and cons to unionizing, of course. Unions may collect dues and require that their members purchase licenses to work, but the pros of unionizing usually outweigh the cons.

DO A GOOD JOB

Sometimes we get so caught up in achieving our future advancement goals that we forget to pay attention to our present performance. Your first priority should be to make sure that you’re doing the best job that you can do, every day. Any effort that you put into additional training or networking should come second.

ASK FOR A RAISE

This one may seem like it’s too obvious to mention, but often people seem to think that it’s somehow rude to ask for more money for doing the same job. But the fact is, the more experience you have in your field, the more valuable you are as a worker. If, after a year or more of consistently performing well, your boss doesn’t think that you’ve proven yourself to be a more reliable (and therefore more valuable) worker than some new hire, then that may be just the cue you need to start looking for a new position.

We all need goals to work towards if we don’t want to wind up in a rut. Set your sights high, and keep working towards your dream salary. You have opportunities all around you to advance, so grab one of them and achieve your career goals!

Five Reasons Why You Should Complete A Medical Office Assistant Program

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We all know that education is important, but why specifically is it important to graduate from a medical office assistant program? If you are considering a career in medical assisting, here are five good reasons to make that investment in your future.

ONE

While it is possible to get work as a medical office assistant straight out of high-school, it’s very difficult. In fact, you would probably need to know the person offering the job, and if they did hire you, they would be doing you a big favor, since they would have to take the time to train you, and might even feel responsible for you to a certain extent.

TWO

Any on-the-job training you receive will be the bare minimum needed to function in your particular office, and will not qualify you to work elsewhere, since every office does things slightly differently. You’ll be in a very vulnerable position with poor job prospects into the future.

THREE

Without having graduated from an accredited medical assisting program, you are not eligible to apply to take the CMR certifying exam, which is an important standard of competency that many employers rely on to make hiring decisions. That means that even if you accumulate a broad range of skills through practical experience and self-study, you will not be able to prove that you have that skill and knowledge. You’ll have to rely on future employers just taking your word for it.

FOUR

Most medical office assistant programs require less than a year to complete for a full-time student. Having to invest so little time to gain so much makes the decision to enrol that much easier. There are now even programs that can be completed entirely online, so if you don’t have the money to enrol in a medical assistant program now, and you don’t want to go into debt, you can wait until you have enough tuition saved and then work to complete your program online on evenings and weekends without even having to commute to a campus.

FIVE

Without any kind of post-secondary training, you may suffer from a lack of self-confidence. How will you feel when you’re always the person with the fewest credentials in the room? Science has shown that a lack of self-confidence has a tremendous negative impact on a person’s ability to perform. This could create a negative spiral in which you perform less well because you think you’re not qualified, and then you see your lack of performance as proof that you’re not qualified, which causes your performance to suffer even more.

I hope that I’ve given you something to think about, and that you’ll make whatever choices are right for you. Whether or not you decide to pursue a career as a medical office assistant, or enrol in a medical assisting program, you should enjoy a life full of continuous learning. I’ll leave you with this quote: “Knowledge desires always increase; it is like fire which must first be kindled by some external agent, but which will afterwards propagate itself.” – Dr. Samuel Johnson

Medical Receptionist Salary

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As an entry-level position in the healthcare industry, medical receptionist is by far not the highest paying title available. Medical receptionist salary levels greatly range in direct correlation with education and experience levels. When comparing pay ranges, it is imperative to factor in location as an obvious influence on findings; salaries will vary tremendously across the nation. While certain locations tend to offer higher base rates, these sites often coincide with an area where the cost of living is quite high. Although many people entertain job offers from different cities and are more than willing to relocate, very few remember to properly research the effect such a major change will have on their overall finances.

Important Factors Used to Determine Pay Rate

Location, education level, and amount of experience were previously mentioned as great influences on the pay rate for medical receptionists. An often overlooked factor is the type of subcategories a medical receptionist is qualified in. Some licensures and certifications offer more than just the basics of medical knowledge and delve into more complicated professional arenas such as dental receptionist or medical assistant training. The broader an available skill set an individual possesses, the more valuable he becomes. In order to balance budgets and cut costs, medical offices are constantly looking for employees that can pull double duty. Since these individuals are qualified to handle a more difficult and varied work load, they command a higher salary.

Starting Medical Receptionist Salaries

Novices to the field of medical receptionist should expect wages to be low regardless of the region the job is located in. Often times a high school education is all that is required to get this position; this results in an inordinate amount of qualified applicants as compared to the number of openings available. Such a set-up mimics the commerce supply and demand law. Since supplies of qualified applicants are basically limitless and the demand for receptionist jobs is limited by economic factors, employers can benchmark pay at lower rates because the position is highly sought out. With such a high number of potential employees, employers know the odds of finding someone willing to work at or slightly above minimum wage are greatly increased. Expect entry level and low experience salaries to be in the neighborhood of $7.36 – $13.37 per hour.

Average Salaries as Related to Healthcare Sector

Assuming a full-time work schedule at 40 hours per week, the average medical receptionist earns somewhere between $9.37 and $16.21 per hour. Once the particular area of healthcare is specified, the natural variations in the price range are clarified. Medical receptionists employed by general physicians’ offices earned roughly $12.72 an hour which is quite similar to the overall average. Interestingly enough, medical receptionists employed by dentists, hospitals, and medical laboratories tended to have wages higher than average, while their cohorts employed by long-term care facilities, optometrists, and mental health practitioners reported below average wages.

It is highly regarded that education and occupation backgrounds are the greatest influences on medical receptionist salaries. While this is true, one must also consider location, industry, and certifications as equally important wage determining influences.

Medical Receptionist Jobs

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Receptionist jobs represent a huge portion of the job market. Nearly any business that has over-the-phone or person-to-person interaction with clients requires an individual to manage the front desk and maintain the office schedule. Nowhere is this truer than within the healthcare field. Medical receptionist jobs are at an all-time high and demand for dedicated employees continues to rise as the medical field expands. There are several things to consider before applying or accepting a job as a medical receptionist.

Am I Well-Suited for the Job?

Several personal attributes and academic skills need to work in harmony for one to be a successful and effective medical receptionist. The person holding this title is usually considered the face of the company because he greets and interacts with every patient, insurance liaison, vendor, pharmaceutical representative, and several other types of visitors that enter the establishment. For this reason, medical receptionists need to have a fun, energetic personality that can easily adapt and manage any situation that arises. The educational background of this particular career varies tremendously from the complete lack of formal education to a medical receptionist licensure/certification from an accredited vocational or technical college. Regardless of educational background, one must have proficient administrative skills in order to land a medical receptionist job. Core competences include typing, scheduling, switchboard mastery, and basic computer skills.

What is the Expected Salary?

Average salaries are mainly based on two points: geographic location coupled with level of experience. As in most fields, newcomers without any type of medical or administrative training earn the least while veterans with a well-rounded collective of educational, administrative, and medical experiences earn the most. The following statistics are the national average of all medical receptionist jobs based solely upon years of experience:

Years of Experience       =     Hourly Rate
Less than 1 year              =     $7.36 – $13.37
1 – 4 years                        =     $8.13 – $14.59
5 – 9 years                       =      $9.01 – $15.75
10 – 19 years                   =      $9.19 – $17.30
20 years or more           =     $9.83 – $18.45

 

What is the Availability of Medical Receptionist Jobs?

There are literally tens, if not hundreds, of thousands medical receptionist jobs available nationwide and these can be found in a variety of cities ranging from small towns to mega-metropolises. There isn’t really a lack of positions, the trick is finding, applying, and receiving an invitation to interview. Most job seekers search newspaper classifieds, community job postings, and online boards in hopes of finding an opening. Few people consider using a temporary staffing agency as a way to gain experience or create networking relationships. More often than not, these temporary jobs turn into permanent positions; even if this doesn’t happen, the employee has added another layer of occupational experience to his resume. Since the computer age dawned, fewer and fewer job seekers actually visit local healthcare providers to make job inquiries; don’t discount this approach. Yes, it is time consuming but usually results in leads that otherwise may have been overlooked because of inadequate advertising. Get creative with your job search and you will be amazed at the opportunities that will be uncovered.

Overall, a medical receptionist job is perfect for those that are a jack-of-all -trades. General medical knowledge, a pleasing disposition, and acute administrative skills are all that is required to start a job that will launch your career within the healthcare industry.

Medical Secretary

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An integral part of any healthcare office is a competent medical secretary. This person is responsible for administrative duties that keep the front office running smoothly and efficiently. Sometime referred to as an Office Manager or a Patient Coordinator, the medical secretary must incorporate several roles in order to complete his work successfully. Continue reading …

How to Become a Medical Office Receptionist

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Thousands of businesses require the professional services of a medical office receptionist. Job opportunities include, but are not limited to, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, doctors’ offices, and clinics. Healthcare related positions are expected to sky rocket over the coming years, so experienced and capable personnel will be needed to fill the upcoming professional roles of these healthcare providers. Now is the time to take action, and prepare for a long and successful career as a medical office receptionist. Continue reading …

Top 3 Things to Know About Becoming a Medical Office Assistant

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In recent years, the healthcare industry has taken off like wild fire. More and more hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics are being built to accommodate the nation’s growing population. Due to the increased number of medical facilities, the demand for qualified personnel is at an all-time high. As a key player in any healthcare environment, a competent medical office assistant is a highly sought after commodity.

Continue reading …