Hear from a Medical Office Assistant grad
Kristina Ongkeko talks about the benefit of small class sizes at Vancouver Career College.
Medical office assistants play a vital role in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and medical clinics. They are responsible for scheduling appointments, maintaining electronic health records, billing and medical transcription, and much more. Without the help of these hard-working individuals, frontline healthcare workers would not be able to carry out their day-to-day tasks.
Vancouver Career College offers a Medical Office Assistant diploma program that covers key areas of medical office administration including keyboarding, medical terminology, communication skills, clinical procedures, and more.
Before you graduate, you will be placed in a real-world medical setting to practice your new skills as a medical office assistant (MOA). You will gain experience working closely with doctors and other medical professionals, while improving on your interpersonal and organizational skills.
Admission Requirements
*From an English language teaching institution.
**19 years of age upon starting classes, and pass college’s admissions test.
This program has been approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training
Kristina Ongkeko talks about the benefit of small class sizes at Vancouver Career College.
In addition to learning career-oriented skills, students learn how to get a job in their chosen profession. Our Employment Services department will assist the graduate in resume writing, as well as preparing for job interviews. Our staff is sensitive to current job market trends and the needs of employers in each local market. Our graduates receive guidance and training to use career tools that help job seekers build a better resume and cover letter, manage an online portfolio, hone interviewing skills, and develop a personal brand online. Students will have the use of a computer lab which has unlimited Internet access, as well as job search resources. Facilitators will also be made available to advise on job finding resources, interview skills and techniques and to carry out mock interviews. This course also looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview:
-How people find jobs
-Employer expectations
-Presenting an enthusiastic attitude
-Focusing on the right job and the hidden job market
-Transferrable skills
-Thank you letters
-Effective telemarketing
-Handling objections, self-confidence, and self-esteem
-Individual counselling and coaching
Students will learn techniques and procedures used to prepare and administer basic procedures and tests utilized in medical offices.
Topics include:
All businesses need to invoice for services rendered and collect their revenues as quickly and efficiently as possible. Doctors’ revenue comes primarily from the provincial medical insurance scheme. Students will be introduced to the medical billing procedures in accordance with the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) requirements and create medical billing data using the BC Medical Association Guide to Fees and ICD-9 Diagnostic Codes. WorkSafe BC, the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC), and medical legal billing requirements are also discussed. Students also learn to perform medical billing data entry and preparation of billing statements using the Regent Smart series application, as well as understanding the transmission and receipt of data from the BC MSP office in Victoria. In the second section of this course, students will create patient databases and complete medical office billing procedures using the current software. Students will become familiar with all aspects of billing, including MSP, ICBC, WorkSafe BC, personal, and medical legal billing. They will also learn to schedule appointments, generate day sheets, and transmit claims. Course time is also dedicated to tutorials to learn the MSP system.
The third and final course on medical language focuses on the specialized terminology of medicine, including the pronunciation and spelling of terms to describe medical circumstances and situations. This course will train students to apply the language of medicine to communicate information, in both written and verbal format, within the health care environment. Students will build a vocabulary of common medical terms and abbreviations applied in office administration/ assistant duties within a medical office and hospital. Students will learn to recognize, define and distinguish basic medical terms pertaining to different medical specialties and medical specialists such as oncology, radiology, pharmacology and psychiatry. Students will also be able to describe generally used diagnostic tests, therapeutic modalities for each specialty of care.
Students will learn to work with the specialized terminology of medicine, including the pronunciation and spelling of terms to describe medical circumstances and situations. Students will learn through descriptions, illustrations and exercises to identify the major anatomical features and systems of the body and the common pathologies, which can adversely affect these systems. This second course of three parts on medical language continues to focus on various body systems. Subjects include: Female reproductive system: organs, menstruation and pregnancy, pathology, clinical tests and procedures Male reproductive system: anatomy, pathologic conditions, and laboratory tests/clinical procedures Nervous system: general structure; neurons, nerves, and glial cells; the brain; the spinal cord and meninges; pathology Cardiovascular system: blood vessels and the circulation of blood; anatomy of the heart; physiology of the heart; blood pressure; and pathology Respiratory system: anatomy and physiology of respiration; pathology; clinical procedures Blood system: composition and formation of blood; blood clots; pathology. Lymphatic and immune systems: lymphatic system; immune system; pathology Musculoskeletal system: bones; pathology; joints; muscles Sense organs: the eye; errors of refraction; pathology; clinical procedures; the ear Endocrine system: thyroid gland; parathyroid glands; adrenal glands; pancreas; pituitary gland; ovaries; testes
This course provides students with the knowledge and skills that are required to recognize and prevent medical and dental emergencies within a medical/dental office. It will prepare students to assist the physician/dentist in administering immediate care for the client in the medical office environment. Students also participate in CPR-first aid training. Lectures, reading assignments, and laboratory projects will provide a basic understanding of medical emergencies and the role of the office assistant in assisting with the administration of care used in the office. This information permits the student to interpret and relay information and to communicate to the health care team and emergency workers. Subjects include:
-Typical medical emergencies
-Roles of individuals in emergencies
-CPR and first aid training
-WHMIS certification
(*) This one-week course may extend beyond 20 hours due to first aid and WHMIS training on specific days maybe being fullday hours.
This course will train students to apply the language of medicine to communicate information, in both written and verbal format, within the health care environment. Students will build a vocabulary of common medical terms and abbreviations applied in office administration/ assistant duties within a medical office and hospital. Students will learn to identify body systems and their basic components and functions, distinguish basic medical terms, abbreviations and specialty of care by identifying the prefixes, suffixes or word root. Importance is placed on spelling and pronunciation of terms associated to the body cavities, body orientation, planes and surfaces of body. In addition, students will learn medical language associated with digestive system, urinary system and integumentary system (skin).
The purpose of this course is to optimize learning through equipping students with effective study techniques. This course also provides an introduction to personality styles that will be encountered in the workplace and allows students to practise appropriate and productive interaction between the various styles. Emphasis is placed on the types of communication that work best with each style in order to achieve a good working relationship and to manage and resolve conflicts that arise. Students are also introduced to strategies for setting personal goals, managing time, and managing the stress that results from study or work and builds on positive group dynamics and setting expectations for student success.
Students will work with teams and clients in a variety of settings. Theory, practical exercises, and activities in this course attribute to these types of settings.
This course provides information and training for using the college’s learning management system, online library resources and electronic textbooks, and an introduction to the tablet technology and Microsoft Office 365 software suite.
Throughout the college’s programs, students utilize technology (electronic books, online library, tablet/computers), use e-mail to communicate with instructors and submit assignments, internet for research and class activities, and use MS Office software to prepare letters and resumes, reports/assignments, and presentations. Multiple resources are provided during this course for students to read and practise their skills including courses in MS Word and MS Excel.
This session welcomes you to the college, introduces you to your fellow classmates, faculty, and staff, reviews the policies and procedures related to your studies, and prepares the student for their learning experience.