9 Benefits of Taking a Medical Office Assistant Diploma

Medical office assistants take on a unique role, as they balance both clinical and administrative duties. People who are medical office assistants and unit clerks are usually the first point of contact with the public and patients who are in need of help, and that’s why they’re important in contributing to the health and wellness of communities. 

There are many advantages to this role should you choose to consider it as a career path. They include personal fulfillment, career stability, advancement options and more. 

In addition, if you want to take a medical office assistant course, then you should know that you have many options ahead of you. While many medical office assistant programs aren’t entirely online, you’ll have to come into the classroom only when you really need to. 

There are many reasons why the blended option is the best to go. You get to learn online in the way that suits you best, but you also get classroom and practical experience when it truly matters. Regardless of the way you learn, it will help you to find medical office assistant jobs in the future.

In this blog, we’ll go through nine reasons why you should become a medical office assistant and take the required course. Let’s get into it: 

Personal fulfillment

Being a medical office assistant and unit clerk, you’ll be able to use all the medical knowledge you’ve learned and be able to improve your skills on a daily basis with constant practice and engaging with patients. You will be able to provide information and give guidance to the widely diverse people that you encounter while building trust and relationships with them. Doing this work may give you a sense of pride of helping others and the wider community, and give you motivation to continue to be the best you can be. 

Career stability 

Health care is one of the career paths that will always be in demand. There will always be a need for various roles in this industry, and that includes medical office assistants and unit clerks. You don’t necessarily have to work in a hospital, you can work in other settings including specialized clinics and other private practices, and even more so now since many facilities have extended their hours or have moved to being open all day year-round. 

Advancement opportunities

After completing your medical office assistant and unit clerk program, you will have various opportunities to get additional training and advance your career. You may choose to learn other specific skills in the medical field and get certificates, or gain some experience and do extra education to advance to a different role such as a nurse. Many medical office assistants stay in the role and eventually move up to different managerial positions, which increases the duties and will allow you to receive a higher income.  

Get a decent income

Medical office assistants can have a starting salary of $23.23 per hour and later on have an average salary of $27 to $29, depending on the circumstances. On the top end, people in this role can make up to $34.86 per hour. While these are the typical wages, you can always negotiate a pay based on your unique situation and work environment. 

You get to work in different roles 

Getting your education in a program that offers both medical office assistant and unit clerk in one provides more value, and you have the ability to work in more roles than you would have if you had only taken a course in one or the other. Being able to learn both the different and overlapping skills makes you well equipped to work in many related jobs out there. 

Learn the material at your convenience

When you take a medical office assistant course, you can take classes at the times of the day when it’s best for you. A medical office assistant program online gives you the flexibility to take your classes in the morning, evening, or on the weekends. 

The course provides students with sound knowledge of effective medical office administrative techniques. You also don’t have to wait until January or September to start the courses. With a medical office assistant diploma at ABM College, intakes are on a month-by-month basis, giving you the accessibility to start the course as early as you want to. 

Get dual education with a two-in-one course

Not only are you getting the full educational experience of becoming a medical office assistant, but in certain programs, you also learn what it takes to become a unit clerk. ABM College’s program merges these two, so you can be a well rounded candidate when you go out into the field and have more options when you’re looking for medical office assistant jobs. 

Oftentimes, medical office assistants can’t be unit clerks and vice versa, so having that combined education opens up many opportunities and allows you to get your foot in the door of whichever path you choose to take. 

Gain valuable experience

Having two programs in one is an asset, but the other advantage of a medical office assistant program online is that it’s still a friendly, approachable, and interactive learning environment. 

“I recently graduated from ABM College and I can say that I learned a lot. I had good teachers and there was good management of the school,” says Leslie Tungpalan, an alumni of the MOA program.

Instructors make sure that students are comfortable to ask questions and learn extra skills and information, as well as encouraging a friendly space to help students thrive. As well, the diploma includes practicum hours to get you ahead of the game.  

Good job prospects

Medical office assistant jobs aren’t going to look at whether you learned the theory from your textbook online or in person. Whether you take the course online, in the classroom, or a combination of the two, you’re still getting the same education and experience to start a bright career ahead of you. 

“After one week of my practicum, I got a job as a Medical Office Assistant in one of the busiest family and walk-in clinics here in Calgary,” says Tungpalan. 

If you’re looking for a medical office assistant course that will help you gain all these advantages, ABM College’s 44-week program gets you ready to start your career in less than a year. Find out how you can enroll in the program today. 

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