Tag Archives: skills

The Ins & Outs of a Medical Office Assistant

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What Does a Medical Office Assistant Do?

Regardless of location, size, or specialty, every medical office needs a medical office assistant — and most often, they need more than just one. Despite the already large and consistently growing need for medical office assistants, there’s still some confusion about what these professionals do on a day-to-day basis. Let’s take a closer look at the everyday role of a medical office assistant.

 

What Is a Medical Office Assistant?

The first person to greet a patient when they enter a medical facility, such as a clinic or private practice, is almost always a medical office assistant. Sometimes referred to as medical office specialists, medical administrative assistants, or patient coordinators, medical office assistants essentially perform the tasks needed to keep a healthcare center functioning effectively. Helping to deliver the best healthcare experience possible, these professionals may handle everything from administrative assignments to clinical ones.

 

What Does It Take to Become One?

Multitasking abilities, strong organizational skills, exceptional communication, and attention to detail are all essential to a succeeding as a medical office assistant. These professionals must be up to date on the latest record-keeping technologies and able to quickly and accurately input information. While many locations only require medical office assistants to have earned a high-school diploma, certain facilities may require them to obtain CMAA certifications or RMA registrations.

What Are Their Day-to-Day Responsibilities?

Medical office assistants wear multiple hats. While their responsibilities will vary depending on which type of medical center they work at, there are some job functions that remain the same just about everywhere.

 

Once a patient arrives, for example, medical office assistants may help by:

  • Helping them check in
  • Taking vitals
  • Measuring height and weight
  • Recording contact details and medical history information
  • Escorting them to the examination room

 

In between assisting patients, medical office assistants perform a range of tasks, such as:

  • Cleaning and sanitizing equipment
  • Cleaning and sanitizing examination areas
  • Scanning files and transcribing records
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Billing patients and accepting payments
  • Receiving and sorting inventory, mail, etc.
  • Responding to emails

 

Starting Your Career as a Medical Office Assistant

The role played by medical office assistants is critical to healthcare facilities small and large. If you’re interested in becoming one and connecting to the clinics, hospitals, or other medical offices with opportunities that match your professional goals, join the HealthCare Support talent network. Our healthcare recruiters will help you put together a professional resume, find relevant job postings, and ace interviews. To take the next step in your healthcare career, contact HealthCare Support today at 407-478-0332.

 

How to List Your Nursing Credentials

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Your nursing credentials sum up your education, active licensure, certifications, and greatest professional achievements. Whether you’re filling out a job application or signing a legal document, you’ll need to pay careful attention to how you write them. Here are some tips to help you list your nursing credentials correctly.

Listing Your Nursing Credentials

As a nursing professional, your credentials should appear in the following order:

  1. Highest earned degree (including doctoral degrees, master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and associate degrees)
  2. Licensure (including RN and LPN)
  3. State designations or requirements (including APRN, NP, and CNS)
  4. National certifications (including RN-BC and FNP-BC)
  5. Achievements and awards (such as FAAN)
  6. Other recognitions or certifications

Your highest earned degree comes first in your list of credentials for multiple reasons: Your degree doesn’t require renewal, and it is the least likely of all your credentials to change. Of course, you may continue your education in the future — replacing what you originally listed with the most recent, highest earned degree. Because licensure is necessary to practice nursing and may or may not be renewed, it is always listed second in your line of credentials.

State designations and national certifications follow licensure because these, too, are required for practice and will expire without continued education. Finally, achievements, awards, and other recognitions are left last on your line of credentials. These additional honors aren’t required to practice nursing, but they are still significant to your professional experience and can help you stand out as a competitive nursing candidate.

Once you have finished listing your credentials complete your resume with your experience listed from your most recent position. There is typically no reason to list any employment that surpasses the last 10 years.

Nursing Credentials Q&A

Below are some of the most common questions that nursing professionals have about their credentials:

  • What should I do if I’m unsure how to list my specific degree or state licensure? Consult your state board of nursing for accurate listing information.
  • Am I required to list certain credentials? You should always list the credentials necessary for your profession in your state when signing legal documents.
  • What if I have more than one degree? List your education in order from the highest to lowest level or simply list your highest earned degree.
  • What if I have multiple nursing credentials? While you aren’t required to list multiple nursing credentials in any specific order, it may be useful to list them from most recently acquired to first acquired or in order of relevance to a specific job if you are applying for one.

Nursing Tips, Tricks, and Preparation

Are you a recent nursing graduate applying for jobs or an experienced nursing professional that’s ready to hop back on the job market? If so, you’ll not only need to get your credentials in order, but also have an interview-ready resume and virtually unlimited access to relevant job postings. That’s where HealthCare Support comes in. Our team of healthcare recruiters will help you find jobs, prepare for interviews, and settle into your new position. To learn more, contact HealthCare Support today at 407-478-0332.

6 Tips for Being a Leader in a Healthcare Workplace

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Healthcare recruiters are trained to place even the most timid applicants in the roles that bring out their true potential as leaders. However, there are some candidates that need extra guidance to instill the right amount of confidence, so we’ve narrowed down six of our top tips to transform any healthcare worker into a healthcare leader.

Trust Yourself

A strong leader doesn’t just apply their skills and clinical expertise; they also consider the moral implications of their decisions. This type of mentality is what prevents leaders from turning the other cheek when they see inappropriate behavior coming from other staff members, and it’s what drives them to go the extra mile for their patients and peers.

Keep Learning

Even the most prominent leaders don’t know everything. The strongest healthcare leaders are those who take time to continue their education to improve the quality of care and overall performance. So, if you want to continue being an effective source of information, you’ll need to stay updated on everything changing in your industry.

Actively Listen

Leaders must possess the ability to direct others, but they also need to have strong listening skills. Beyond hearing what patients and staff are communicating, leaders in the healthcare industry must actively listen to uncover true solutions and improve the systems around them.

Ask Questions

The people around you might follow the direction you give, but you’ll never know what they think unless you ask. Consider asking your team how they feel about your leadership and if they have any feedback to improve your leadership style. By conferring with your team, you might even uncover new strategies or systems that can improve the everyday functions in your workplace.

Stay Positive

No matter how exhausted, annoyed, or upset they are, leaders are still the model for the team around them. If you want to step up into leadership, lead by example and show your coworkers that high-quality care takes priority no matter how many hours you are into a shift. As a leader, you should always strive to guide your coworkers by being a positive figure throughout every minute of your shift.

Find the Right Position

In the healthcare world, some people work best in specific areas, and finding these specific areas is essential to maximizing your capability as a leader. It might take time, but focus on landing the role in which you function best. To easily uncover the right position for your background, skills, and goals, partner with a healthcare recruiter.

The best leaders can function at maximum capacity when they’re in the right position, but finding that position isn’t always easy. With thousands of positions open at a time, it can be incredibly hard to narrow down your search. Fortunately, the healthcare recruiters at HealthCare Support can find the right positions and completely prepare you for the interview and onboarding process. If you’re interested in joining our candidate pool to find your niche in leadership, call 407-478-0332 today.