As a medical receptionist, you are the first point of contact for all patients as they enter your hospital or healthcare center. In that moment you represent the first impression the patient will have of their experience in your care.
It is absolutely imperative that you have a smile on your face at all times and are ready to help the patients from the moment they check in to the moment they check out. There are several duties that you will be responsible for as a receptionist.
Your main duties as a medical office receptionist will consist of greeting patients as they come into the office, checking them into the office, answering any questions they may have about their insurance coverage and co-payment amounts, verifying insurance details, and answering the telephone. Most medical receptionist jobs will also require you to pull charts and refile medical records for the doctor, schedule appointments and follow ups, and any other general clerical and administrative duties that may be assigned.
The job outlook for medical receptionist jobs is currently expanding. Employment rates and current medical receptionist jobs are expected to increase more than 15% by 2017. This means that there are many medical receptionist jobs currently available and many more positions will become available in the near future.
The profession of the medical office receptionist is a field that will always have medical receptionist jobs available no matter what. There will always be a need for a medical receptionists. Applying for medical receptionist jobs is quite easy and the resume of a medical office receptionist is one of the most important tools to have in getting the medical receptionist jobs that you want.
The medical receptionist jobs that you can apply for are not only expanding, but the job market for a well trained medical receptionist is on the rise. Medical receptionist training and education is one of the first things that potential employers are looking for. Many medical receptionist jobs do not require any type of special training. Most of the medical receptionist training is done by the doctor’s office or facility that hires you.
Many medical receptionist jobs are looking for candidates with office experience and in-field education using computers, spreadsheets and databases. Many colleges, both online and traditional, offer a one year certificate option for medical receptionist training. These programs put you at the forefront of the job market. You will learn several medical office receptionist procedures such as handling medical insurance, understanding insurance, learning how to take payments and apply co-payments, and learning computer programs such as the range of Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc) most often used within large organizations.
This will not only give you a certificate to put on your resume and make it look more professional, but it also shows that you have all the medical receptionist training, experience, and skills that is needed to be a hospital receptionist. Medical receptionist training is important to getting a good job and receiving the best medical receptionist salary you can. If you are just starting out you are advised to invest in quality, well laid-out medical receptionist training so to put some experience under your belt. Many of these medical receptionist training certifications can be achieved from your own home, at your own pace, so to make the learning process even easier for you.
Before you commit to taking on all this training and jumping into the competitive pool that is the US job market, you may first want to look into what the medical receptionist salary is. The current national average medical receptionist salary is approximately $34,000 per year. There are several factors that may impact the amount of your medical receptionist salary. One factor is the amount of medical receptionist training and experience you have. Another factor is the area in which you live.
Certain areas of the country have higher rates of pay than others. The medical receptionist salary in places like Alaska and Connecticut is over $40,000 per year. The medical receptionist salary in places like North Dakota and Utah is less than $30,000 per year. The location in which you choose to work greatly affects what your medical receptionist salary will eventually end up being.
Another factor that can affect your medical receptionist salary is the type of office that you work in. The highest paying medical office receptionist places to work are specialized clinics and offices, such as those of a dentist or optometrist. The lowest paying medical office receptionist places of business are those of employment agencies and personal care facilities.
Hospitals may often pay more than doctor’s offices for a medical receptionist. The salary at a hospital is $35,000 per year, a dentist’s office is about $30,000 per year and a personal care facility is about $27,000 per year.
To increase the level of your medical receptionist salary, you can do several things. You can go to school and get more medical receptionist training, you can work for a few years and get more experience under your belt as a medical office receptionist, or you can relocate to areas like New York where the medical receptionist salary is at the highest level in the country at over $40,000 per year.
Becoming a medical office receptionist can be your first step on the way to a rewarding career and a great way to get your foot in the door of the medical profession. Getting more medical receptionist training and experience is the best way to increase your medical receptionist salary. There are many different medical receptionist jobs on the market and this gives you variety in the type of work that you will perform for the doctor or facility that you choose to work for.
A career as a medical receptionist is a great way to ensure that you and your family will always be taken care of. Since the job market is expanding, you will never have to worry about being phased out like what is currently taking place for many jobs in our declining economy. Not only is a medical career the best long term career to look at right now, but it’s one of the easiest ways to get your foot in the door and ensure yourself a bright future.