A reliable and competent medical secretary is a gem to every doctor and patient. Their co-workers feel lucky to have them and they are highly valued in their place of work. They also have many wonderful opportunities waiting for them especially with the Bureau of Statistics forecasting a 20% job growth. So if you have set your heart and mind to this career, you might as well think how to make yourself a cut above the rest. You will not only enjoy your work but also succeed in a very challenging industry called medicine.
The first thing you can do is to take a medical secretary diploma course which takes about six months to complete. Education is very important particularly in a career where a different set of language is used. Certainly, you need to have a good grasp of medical terminology because no doctor would have the time to teach you. Aside from understanding and utilizing medical terms, a good medical secretary curriculum will enable you to perform medical transcription and essential medical office functions.
You will also have the chance to study medical insurance and obtain experience through on-the-job trainings or internships. Formal medical secretary studies are an absolutely necessity if you want to be noticed in this competitive field. As a matter of fact, you will realize its significance as early as your application period. While there are some individuals who were able to enter the field without a medical secretary certificate, it will be difficult in the future as competition will surely become more cutthroat.
Another step you could take to become a more efficient medical secretary is to hone your skills in typing as there will be a lot of encoding to do and dictation to take. Good typing skills can let you save a great deal of time which you could spend to perform other tasks. Likewise, enhance your oral and written communication skills and your interpersonal skills. You will perform many administrative tasks including managing patients and scheduling appointments. Be warned, you won’t survive conflicts without these skills in your arsenal.
The best medical secretaries are also those who can handle stress well as you will face a lot of nerve-racking situations. You should also be conscious about your health. Eat well and exercise because facing the computer for eight hours can easily result to repetitive motion injury such as CTS or carpal tunnel syndrome. Lastly, try to stay on top of your game. Continue learning. If you think you are way behind developments in the field, take new medical secretary courses even if you have taken one many years back.
Now study from the comfort of your home through International Career Institute distance learning programs on medical secretary courses. We provide accredited medical secretary diploma courses. You may visit our website at http://www.ici.net.au/ to learn more about our services.