Few fields offer the feel-good benefits of medicine. The satisfaction that employees of this field experience when they go home after a long day, knowing that they contributed in some way to helping someone’s quality of life is immeasurable. There are many career paths in medicine, but perhaps one of the most interesting is Medical Office Assistants (or “MOA”).

A medical office assistant’s role is an important one: they are responsible for coordinating the clerical and administrative aspects of a medical establishment. In other words, they are the people who keep a medical office running smoothly so that doctors and dentists can do their jobs. The employment prospects for these positions is good, and there are many medical establishments looking for workers. Medical assistants can work in a number of different types of medical establishments, including:

· Ambulatory and outpatient departments

· Walk-in care centres

· Diagnostic labs

· X-ray departments

· Hospital admitting departments

· Health records department

· Medical administrative departments

· Physicians’ offices and clinics

· Wellness and fitness centres

· Daycares

· Chiropractic and acupuncture clinics

· Medical research facilities

· Physiotherapy clinics

· Group homes

· Medical supply companies

Medical office assistant diploma programs must be comprehensive to ensure that graduates have the skills they need to be employable. Consequently, most medical assistant training programs are 45 weeks in length. This means that students are taught a considerable amount of knowledge, but it also means that they can graduate in less than a year. All throughout medical office assistant training, students are encouraged to ask their instructors questions to increase their knowledge of the discipline.

Medical office assistant programs typically include the following topics among their course loads:

· Basic human anatomy

· Health administration

· Computer health applications

· Appointment taking and coordinating

· Medical procedures and clinical procedures

· Medical terminology

· Pharmacology

· Patient service skills

· CPR and first aid

· Systems management

· Advanced documentation skills

· Understanding medical insurance

Most medical assistant courses are followed by a 4-week internship. This invaluable component of medical office assistant diploma programs allows students to get real-life experience in the field. In this way, students are able to get a deep understanding of the discipline. It also allows them to refine their career goals, and helps them choose which kind of environment they think they could work well in – for example a private clinic, or a community hospital.

If you want to make a difference, and you think the medical field is right for you, consider enrolling in a medical office assistant training program. It just may be the career you’ve always been looking for.