The medical receptionist job role can be summed up behind the idea of enjoying the front-row seat to any patient visit. In this post, we’ll give you a sneak peek into what the role of a medical receptionist entails from a career perspective.
The Job Market Overview
The job market for medical receptionist jobs is thriving, with over 23,500 positions available across the U.S.
More hospitals and clinics need medical receptionists.
It is reported that over 23,500 positions are available in the U.S., and cities like Chicago alone have opened 1,000 job openings.
For applicants seeking full-time or part-time employment, opportunities await you, and medical centers desperately need your help.
The role overview
As a medical receptionist, you will be the first point of contact for patients due for consultation or admission.
You will also respond and attend to each person walking into the hospital.
Here’s what an average duty would look like:
Answer phone calls and schedule appointments
Respond to emergencies with kindness
Transmit messages via email or fax
Manage patients’ check-in and check-out
Handle medical records
Reach out to the appropriate individual to help with the patient’s needs
Verifies patient insurance via phone or website
You’ll respond to patients’ needs, serve them, and direct them to appropriate individuals who meet their medical needs.
You’ll need to be able to respond to inquiries, handle scheduling conflicts, and manage patient flow in an orderly manner.
As a medical assistant, you have the flexibility to choose your work arrangement. You’ll be given two contract options: full-time or part-time.
Regarding the contract, you may work full-time or part-time, which gives you more flexibility and jobs.
These skills are needed to fulfill the demands of this role:
Strong organizational skills
A detailed oriented eyes
Excellent and practical communication skills
Truly, your strong pre-existing soft skills will give you huge benefits to advance your role.
The average salary on the market
The hiring medical center will determine the pay grade and employee packages of a medical receptionist based on the following criteria:
Your work location
Pre-existing medical knowledge and experience
Hard and Soft skills
Medical system and tools proficiency
Certifications, attended training, and specializations
The ongoing pay rate in the job market today is reported to be around $16 to $18 per hour.
If you opt for a full-time medical receptionist job role, you can earn $34,000 to $37,000 annually.
If you have pre-existing experience, typically, you can earn at least $22 per hour.
Role overview
Speaking of roles, your job role as a medical receptionist typically focuses on administrative tasks; however, working in rural is a different story, as your role can extend to clerical tasks.
Key roles
Greeting Patients
Since you are the first point of contact for patients, part of your role is to greet patients warmly and direct them to the appropriate areas.
Messages
You will take detailed instructions and messages and ensure they are directed to the right medical team.
Answers call
You will also respond to each patient’s calls and address them immediately.
Assist in clinical duties.
Medical receptionists act as medical assistants in rural areas, assisting doctors with clinical tasks such as performing medical procedures and treating patients.
Administrative Support and Tasks
You will also be assigned administrative tasks such as handling doctors’ schedules, but not limited to ensuring patients’ schedules.
The growing pains and its rewards
The medical receptionist job role comes with a unique set of challenges and rewards.
Here are some of the unique challenges you’ll face.
The challenges you’re about to face
Multitasking
Fulfilling your medical assistant or receptionist role will demand you to wear many hats.
Accuracy
The accuracy of documenting medical records is critical in your role, so please record them precisely.
High-Stress Environment
No doubt, medical work will always present a threat of high-stress situations.
A rewarding career
Patient interaction
Working as a medical assistant and receptionist will give you the front-row seat in hearing patient victories and stories.
Skill development
The room for skill development in a medical assistant or receptionist position is huge, as it will help you hone your soft skills.
Professional growth
Plenty of work opportunities await you.
You can also advance the medical receptionist job role easily if you take additional training and specializations such as medical assistant.
The career opportunities
Medical Hospitals and Clinics
So, how do you transition from the medical assistant role to the medical receptionist job role? Please be sure to look for jobs available in clinics and hospitals.
Opportunities Include:
Hospitals:
Hospitals need to meet the high volume of patients they need daily, so they offer more jobs.
Clinics
Smaller settings provide more personalized patient care and the chance to build strong relationships with regular patients.
Private Practices
Working with doctors with specializations, such as pediatrics or radiology, will help you gain first-hand experience and in-depth knowledge of handling special cases of patients and hone your skills.
Securing the role
Yes, the numbers you’ve seen are true, so take advantage of some websites that post job openings, such as social media platforms and job agencies.
In Summary
You can take advantage of today’s job openings; these roles will be filled sooner or later.
