How to Become a Medical Receptionist

Interested in a career in the medical industry?

A BSB30120 Certificate III in Business (Medical Administration) is a great way to open doors to a challenging yet rewarding job as a medical receptionist. 

Requiring a combination of administration and people skills, medical receptionists have a wide range of responsibilities. Their daily tasks typically include managing patient appointments, fielding phone calls and providing organisational support to medical professionals.  

Learn how to become a medical receptionist and how you can advance your career in this profession with the right qualifications.

Top Traits for Medical Receptionists

Communication Skills

Medical receptionists spend much of their day interacting with people, so you’ll need advanced communication skills to thrive in this role. Assisting patients with making appointments is a task that calls for particularly strong verbal communication abilities, as you’ll need to negotiate with members of the public in a respectful yet assertive manner.

You’ll also be responsible for duties such as taking down patient details and managing medical records, calling for proficient written communication skills.

Multitasking Abilities

Medical receptionists often need to answer phones, check in patients for appointments and liaise with medical professionals all at the same time. Having so many things going on at once requires the ability to juggle responsibilities and identify high-priority tasks while maintaining a high standard of attention to detail.

Administrative Skills

From processing payments to ordering office stationery, medical receptionists typically have a wide range of administrative responsibilities. Medical staff like doctors and nurses rely on receptionists to perform these tasks effectively to maintain a welcoming and professional front office for patients.

Patience and Compassion

Many of the people you’ll encounter as a medical receptionist will be dealing with health problems and may not always have the capacity to communicate effectively due to stress and other factors. As a medical receptionist, it will be your job to make their experience less stressful by showing them compassion and practising patience.

Requirements to Work as a Medical Receptionist

While it’s not mandatory for medical receptionists to have formal training, earning a qualification can help you acquire the skills and knowledge needed to excel in this role. As you’ll be working in close proximity to patients, you may also need to verify that you’ve received standard vaccinations for conditions like measles and hepatitis B.

Some employers may also ask you to undertake a criminal history check.

Medical Receptionist Courses

If you’re not sure how to become a medical receptionist with no experience, completing a BSB31115 Certificate III in Business Administration (Medical Administration) will help you get a foot in the door. This course is designed to develop a range of business administration skills that can be applied in medical settings, such as preparing and processing medical accounts, maintaining patient records, working in a team environment and responding to challenges that commonly arise in medical administration.

In addition to mastering these administrative business skills, you’ll also gain a solid understanding of how to work confidently in an administrative position in the healthcare sector.

Find the ideal career in healthcare by browsing all our health courses today.

Think you’ve got what it takes to succeed as a medical receptionist? Improve your career prospects by completing a business administration course with Foundation Education. Call 1300 616 197 for more information or for advice on how to enrol. You can learn more about what it’s like to work as a medical receptionist in this helpful article.

Next