Description
Medical administrative assistants perform a variety of secretarial and administrative duties in doctor’s offices, hospitals, medical clinics and other medical settings.
Job Titles
- Administrative assistant – medical
- Case load planner – home health care services
- Medical administrative assistant
- Medical secretary
- Medical stenographer
- Ward secretary
- Ward secretary – hospital
Main Duties
- Schedule and confirm medical appointments and receive and communicate messages for medical staff and patients
- Enter and format electronically based medical reports and correspondence and prepare spreadsheets and documents for review
- Interview patients in order to complete forms, documents and case histories
- Complete insurance and other claim forms
- Initiate and maintain confidential medical files and records
- Prepare draft agendas for meetings and take, transcribe and distribute minutes
- Prepare financial statements and billing
- Establish and maintain various internal office administrative support procedures such as document tracking and filing and monthly reporting
- Order supplies and maintain inventory
- Determine and establish office procedures and routines
- May supervise and train other staff in procedures and in use of current software.
Workplaces
- Doctors’ offices
- Hospitals
- Medical clinics
- Other medical settings
Skills
- Management of Material Resources
- Oral Communication: Active Listening
- Oral Communication: Oral Comprehension
- Oral Communication: Oral Expression
- Coordinating
Abilities
- Speech Recognition
- Verbal Ability
- Auditory Attention
- Categorization Flexibility
- Deductive Reasoning
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Collaboration
- Service Orientation
- Social Orientation
- Adaptability
Similar Occupations
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be moderate for Medical administrative assistants (13112) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
The majority of medical secretaries work in doctors’ offices, outpatient care centres and diagnostics laboratories, or in hospitals. The demand for workers in this occupation will depend on growing health care needs driven by the aging population, growth in immigration, and government health care priorities.
Candidates with training in medical office administration have the best opportunities for securing employment, though applicants with administrative experience in a doctor’s office may also be considered by some employers. Medical secretaries are expected to work closely with both doctors and the general public, therefore strong interpersonal skills and customer service skills are assets for job-seekers. Employment opportunities are also improved for candidates familiar with medical terminology and who have a strong working knowledge of health care information system software.
Here are some key facts about Medical administrative assistants in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 350 people work in this occupation.
- Medical administrative assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
- Hospitals (NAICS 622): 52%
- Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 39%
- Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 6%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 87% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 13% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 77% of medical administrative assistants work all year, while 23% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: less than 5% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: more than 95% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: 10% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 9% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 74% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $15.00 | $24.00 | $27.00 |
| Canada | $17.00 | $22.56 | $30.47 |
Training
| TRAINING PROGRAM | INSTITUTION | CREDENTIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Support Services | Holland College | Diploma |
| Administrative Assistant | Holland College | Certificate |
| Bilingual Administrative Assistant | Collège de l’Île | Certificate |
Additional Training
There are currently no job listings for this occupation on WorkPEI.