What Does A Medical Receptionist Do?

A good receptionist is key in any organisation and this is certainly true for a medical receptionist. Landing a job as a medical receptionist is a great way of getting into the health sector where you can climb the ladder to more senior positions. Continue reading to learn more about the daily responsibilities of a medical receptionist and whether it might be a career choice for you.

 

Daily Responsibilities Of A Medical Receptionist 

The day to day of a medical receptionist is busy. Between scheduling new appointments, greeting patients and filling out patient forms, taking and delivering messages, they have to fit in ordering medical equipment, daily contact with nurse and doctors, the list goes on. Essentially, the receptionist is responsible for the smooth running of the entire clinic, practice or hospital. They are the touchstone between doctors, nurses, staff, and patients. Below is a list of just some of the day-to-day tasks of a medical receptionist.

 

• Welcoming patients and visitors, answering the telephone and answering any inquiries.
• Scheduling appointments and keep those appointments on time.
• Assisting patients with completing necessary forms and documentation.
• Keeping a clean and calm reception area.
• Processing billing and payments, using medical software
• Liaising with Medicare and private health funds
• Faxing, scanning, filing, and mailing documentation.
• Comforting distressed patients – this may range from simply fixing any appointment issues that may arise, through to being the voice of comfort during times of extreme stress and emergency.
• Equipment sterilisation and cleaning.
• Monitoring and ordering stationery and clinical supplies.
• Booking and organising staff and doctor meetings.
• Maintaining information confidentiality at all times.
• Liaising with other medical departments such as radiologists, medical specialists or psychologists with professionalism and discretion.

 

Importance of a medical receptionist

The receptionist is the first impression the patients have with a clinic. No matter if it is through a phone call or face to face, the receptionist will be the face and voice of the practice. This means the receptionist will help in forming the view the clients get of the practice but also the view of other medical departments, subcontractors and professions.

A good receptionist brings tremendous value to any type of organisation and a medical receptionist allows doctors and nurses to concentrate on what they do best, treating people. Needless to say, the importance of a medical receptionist cannot be underestimated.

A medical receptionist always seem to have the solutions to problems that pop up at the most inconvenient of times.  From handling tricky phone calls, transacting medical accounts,  calming down distressed patients to fixing the copy machine, a great receptionist is able to think fast, solve complications, and make clients feel that they’re in good hands.

You can rely on a receptionist for their flexibility and the ability to adapt to new situations. Whereas most employees in the office will focus on their own duties and do not necessarily get involved in other areas of the company, the receptionist interacts with people throughout the whole organisation and will get involved in all departments.

 

Characteristics Of A Medical Receptionist

A good communicator:

To be a good medical receptionist you need to be able to convey your messages clearly. However, sometimes this is not all about what you say, but how you listen. This is true for a good medical receptionist. Listening to the patients and make them feel like you understand their problems, is of the hallmarks of a good medical receptionist.

 

Organised:
Nothing beats a receptionist that knows where important documents are stored or where the phone number to the specialist doctor is. An organised receptionist means an organised practice.

 

Multitasking and ability to work in stressful situations:
People are waiting in line, patients need help filling out forms and the phone is going off for the fifth time. Keeping cool during stressful days and being able to juggle between tasks is essential for an amazing receptionist.

 

Professionalism:
As stated before, the receptionist is the face and voice of the business. Therefore, a professional appearance and attitude is a must if you are considering a career within medical administration. Understanding and abiding by confidentiality regulations, ensures trust is established across the clinic.

 

Future career opportunities
Being a medical receptionist opens up many options for you in the health care sector. Becoming an office manager, personal assistant, medical practice manager,  or medical secretary are the typical next steps for a receptionist.

 

Qualification however, is the first step. Wesley Training’s 4-week Medical Reception short course is the perfect way to pick up the skills required to become a great medical receptionist, or students can consider the full Qualification. Find out more information about our medical reception courses here, or call us today: 1800 001 256.

The post What Does A Medical Receptionist Do? appeared first on Wesley Institute of Training.

Changing Career Into Healthcare

Are you thinking of a career change and have decided health care is the industry for you? Or are you looking for ways to up skill yourself in order to progress in your career?

 

Taking the leap and changing career, is daunting. There are lot of different aspects to consider before you start the journey, however, if you think a career in the health sector is suitable for you, it will be a decision you won’t regret. Research will be your best friend in finding the best role for you.

Important factors to consider are:

• What are the job prospects like?
• What is the salary like?
• What qualifications do you have and which ones do you need?
• What do I need to do to get these qualifications?

 

One thing is clear, the healthcare sector is now the largest and fastest growing employment sectors in Australia and currently makes up for about 13.4 % of the workforce. According to the Labour Force Survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the largest growth was experienced in the Health care sector by 3% (or over 57,700 new jobs created). The opportunities for employment in a variety of areas are fruitful and positive. Even so, you need to think about how you can get ahead of the competition.

 

Is healthcare right for you?

To be successful in the healthcare industry you need to be a special kind of person, no matter what type of role you have. No matter if you are a receptionist, greeting sick and distressed patients or working in HR, being in the health care sector means you have to show a high level of empathy and care. Much more so than in other industries. If you are the type of person that wants to make a real and sincere difference to someone’s day and have a positive impact on someone’s life, then healthcare is the industry for you.

 

What role is right for you?

The healthcare industry has a variety of options for you in terms of career choice. Healthcare careers often are associated with years of training for roles like:
• Doctors
• Nurses
• Medical Assistants
• Nurse practitioners
• Physical therapists
• Emergency medical technician (EMTs)
• Speech pathologists
• Radiology technicians

These hands-on roles require long degrees, however, if you don’t have any qualifications related to the healthcare industry and you’re not ready to take up your pen and enrol in a medical degree, there are still a bundle of options for you such as work in.

 

Health Administration Careers

• Medical administration
• Clinic or hospital reception
• Patient liaison officer
• Medical accounts
• Medical audio typist
• Allied health receptionist or administrator
• Dental receptionist

 

We have a number of different courses available that will help you acquire the necessary skills and qualifications you need. Our courses open up opportunities for you to work in general practice, specialists, hospitals, dental practices, private health care practices and allied health units. If you already are working within the industry but want to progress your career, we have courses for you too!

 

Talk to people in the industry

A good idea before you make your final decision is to talk to people that are already working in the role you are interested in. This will give you a realistic idea of what the day-to-day requirements of the position are. This will either reinforce or deter you for embarking on your new career path. Also, there are benefits to starting to build your professional network. By networking you will get free knowledge that will ultimately help you in your job search such as updates on the newest industry trends, learn which companies are hiring and of course, build connections in the industry!

 

Medical Careers

Most students undertaking the Wesley range of courses are interested in upgrading or a change up of careers. Wesley draw from our 20 years experience in Medical HR, and offer a half day workshop in Medical Careers. Did you know 85% of jobs are never advertised? Wesley guide you to where the great jobs are, and how to get them!

 

Prepare for the interview

You now have your qualification; you’ve networked, sent out applications and now you have an interview lined up. This is your time to show the interviewer that you are perfect for the job. Preparation is key. Reading up on the position, asking your networking contacts or mentor about what questions you might be asked is a good way to start. There are several websites and publications that can help you stay up to date with industry news too. If you still feel unsure, our “Mastering the Interview” course can help you prepare and make you feel confident going in to your first interview.

Embarking on a new career can be scary, but when you take your first step you are on your way to a career that is both challenging and very rewarding.

 

Take your first step by reading our health administration course information or calling one of our helpful consultants on (08) 9470 2000.

The post Changing Career Into Healthcare appeared first on Wesley Institute of Training.

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Changing Career Into Healthcare: What You Need To Know

Are you thinking of a career change and have decided health care is the industry for you? Or are you looking for ways to up skill yourself in order to progress in your career?

Taking the leap and changing career, is daunting. There are lot of different aspects to consider before you start the journey, however, if you think a career in medical administration is suitable for you, it will be a decision you won’t regret. Research will be your best friend in finding the best role for you.

Important factors to consider are:

• What are the job prospects like?
• What is the salary like?
• What qualifications do you have and which ones do you need?
• What do I need to do to get these qualifications?

One thing is clear, the healthcare sector is now the largest and fastest growing employment sectors in Australia and currently makes up for about 13.4 % of the workforce. According to the Labour Force Survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the largest growth was experienced in the Health care sector by 3% (or over 57,700 new jobs created). The opportunities for employment in a variety of areas are fruitful and positive. Even so, you need to think about how you can get ahead of the competition.

 

Is health administration right for you?

To be successful in the healthcare industry you need to be a special kind of person, no matter what type of role you have. No matter if you are a receptionist, greeting sick and distressed patients or working in HR, being in the health care sector means you have to show a high level of empathy and care. Much more so than in other industries. If you are the type of person that wants to make a real and sincere difference to someone’s day and have a positive impact on someone’s life, then healthcare is the industry for you.

What role is right for you?

The healthcare industry has a variety of options for you in terms of career choice. Healthcare careers often are associated with years of training for roles like:
• Doctors
• Nurses
• Medical Assistants
• Nurse practitioners
• Physical therapists
• Emergency medical technician (EMTs)
• Speech pathologists
• Radiology technicians

These hands-on roles require long degrees, however, if you don’t have any qualifications related to the healthcare industry and you’re not ready to take up your pen and enrol in a medical degree, there are still a bundle of options for you such as work in:

• Medical administration
• Clinic or hospital reception
• Patient liaison officer
• Medical accounts
• Medical audio typist
• Allied health receptionist or administrator
• Dental receptionist

We have a number of different courses available that will help you acquire the necessary skills and qualifications you need. Our courses open up opportunities for you to work in general practice, specialists, hospitals, dental practices, private health care practices and allied health units. If you already are working within the industry but want to progress your career, we have courses for you too!

Talk to people in the industry

A good idea before you make your final decision is to talk to people that are already working in the role you are interested in. This will give you a realistic idea of what the day-to-day requirements of the position are. This will either reinforce or deter you for embarking on your new career path. Also, there are benefits to starting to build your professional network. By networking you will get free knowledge that will ultimately help you in your job search such as updates on the newest industry trends, learn which companies are hiring and of course, build connections in the industry!

Medical careers

Most students undertaking the Wesley range of courses are interested in upgrading or a change up of careers. Wesley draw from our 20 years experience in Medical HR, and offer a half day workshop in Medical Careers. Did you know 85% of jobs are never advertised? Wesley guide you to where the great jobs are, and how to get them!

Prepare for the interview

You now have your qualification; you’ve networked, sent out applications and now you have an interview lined up. This is your time to show the interviewer that you are perfect for the job. Preparation is key. Reading up on the position, asking your networking contacts or mentor about what questions you might be asked is a good way to start. There are several websites and publications that can help you stay up to date with industry news too. If you still feel unsure, our “Mastering the Interview” course can help you prepare and make you feel confident going in to your first interview.

Embarking on a new career can be scary, but when you take your first step you are on your way to a career that is both challenging and very rewarding.

Take your first step by reading our course information or contacting us.

The post Changing Career Into Healthcare: What You Need To Know appeared first on Wesley Institute of Training.

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Wilderness Medical Training & Medical Kits

One question that I am constantly asked is do I offer first aid courses. The answer is currently no. I am working on it though. Running first aid courses are a  big part of my plans in the future to offer courses aimed specifically at kayakers & rafters.
One of the reasons that I do not offer first aid courses is that I am yet to find a syllabus that I feel delivers enough training and skills to offer kayakers & raft guides who are leading groups into the wilderness where they will be a minimum of 1 or 2 days away from any type of professional medical help.

Wilderness first aid training
I have seen plenty of companies that try to offer this but unfortunately normally the training falls short of the required standard.

Saying that I have found 2 companies that actually do deliver a gold standard wilderness training in my opinion.

Wilderness medical training (UK & Europe), short WMT have been offering training to those heading overseas into situations where they will be far from help for 20 years now.

I use WMT for my own personal first aid training, I feel that their 4 day advanced wilderness medicine course has given me the knowledge, skills & confidence to deal with problems when they occur (tried and tested).

The thing that sets WMT apart from other courses is fact that their courses are so much more than a first aid course, they really do prepare you to work in the wilderness. The WMT course covers a  multitude of skills that you never get taught on a standard wilderness course. Here are a few of the subjects covered.

Advanced wound mangament (wound closing using staples & glue)

Giving fluid therapy through subcutaneous re hydration

Intramuscular injections to administer Adrenalin,local anesthetic, pain killers

Advanced fracture and dislocation management

Oxygen therapy

Use of prescription only antibiotics

This is very good and well I can hear you thinking. But where can I get access to the medications that I have just learnt how to use. WMT have an excellent relationship with Nomads travel clinic in London where you can then purchase prescription only medications along with all of the other medications that you need to build your own expedition medical kit.

WMT will enforce the point that prescription only medications (POMS) are not to be used in the UK or where medical assistance is close to hand.

One of the fundamental skills I learnt on the courses I have taken with WMT is to always carry their excellent field guide booklet whilst on my travels. You will be amazed how much you forget through skill fade when you are faced with having to deal with an emergency situation.

The Advanced wilderness medicine course is taught over a 4 day residential course and is delivered by professional healthcare practitioners from the national health service in the UK along with some seasoned expedition leaders. The course allows you to learn advanced techniques with like-minded individuals. The price for the course can be expensive but you cannot put a price on saving a human life plus you are also arming yourself with skills for life.

On the other side of the pond in the USA their approach to wilderness first aid training is a little more structured & unified than in Europe. The professional standard for people venturing into the wilderness is to hold the wilderness first responder certificate. By law all first responder courses must last for a minimum of 75 hours. The WFR teaches you how to understand the human body and its systems. Group scenarios play a big part in the WFR syllabus allowing the course students to get hands on practice of the skills learnt in the class room sessions. I would personally recommend Sierra Rescue in California. The Sierra Rescue tutors all come from a river guiding back ground. Sierra Rescue are also the regional provider of Rescue3 courses in California.

Medical kits 

One thing that really boils my blood when I am working on rivers around the world is the complacency from river guides towards their own and company first aid kit.

In my eyes the standard of first aid kit on a commercial rafting trip is a direct reflection of the company offering the trip. I normally find too that poor first aid kits normally go hand in hand with poor guide first aid skills.

Moldy damp wet out of date first aid kits are no excuse when you are charging your customers a premium rate for rafting.  After all your first aid kit is a massive part of your customer service. All first aid kits should be clean, dry well marked & well stocked. You should be proud of your first aid kits.

A few of the professional companies that I have worked for have allocated 1 guide to be responsible for the up keep of the first aid kits. This generally seems to work.

During my travels I have learnt the lesson the hard way and have discovered that carrying my own first aid kit is normally the best option. The question I have to ask myself is what to carry?

I tackled this question by creating 2 first aid kits.

Kit #1

Kit#1 is the kit I use when I am heading off with groups where I know I will be far from help. Kit#1 is classed as my base camp kit. I will explain a little about the kit.

First off I carry the kit in a Pelican case. Peli cases are air & water tight. Peli cases have a reputation for being hard wearing and extensively used by the armed forces and medical profession.I have used conventional dry bags before but they always manage to get wet plus there is a high chance the contents will get squashed at some point.

All of my antibiotic medications, pain killers and injectables including all of the hardwear to go with them are stored in pouches that are attached to the lid of the case by velcro.

To make double sure that my kit stays dry and dust free I have grouped the medications together and then placed them into clearly marked ziplock bags.

Here is a list of what I carry in kit #1.

Antibiotics & Medications 

Azithromycin 500mg 

Prednisolone 5mg 

Ciprofloxacin 250mg 

Doxycycline 100mg  

Clarithromycin 250mg 

Diclofenac 50mg 

Prochlorperazine Buccal 3mg 

Fluorescein sodium 1% minims 

Chloramphenical eye ointment 

Tetracaine eye drops (local anaesthetic)

Chlorphenamine 4mg antihistamine

Bactroban antibiotic cream 15g

Hydrocortisone cream 30g

Tramadol capsules 50mg 

Tramadol for injection 50mg 

Prochlorperrazine stemetil 12.5mg 

Adrenaline 1;100 1ml amp

Hydrocortisone injection 100mg | 1ml amp

Lidocaine 1% 5ml local anaesthetic

Paracetamol 500mg 

Asprin 300mg 

lemsip cold and Flu 

Ibuprofen 400mg 

Co-Codamol capsules 

Loperamide Hydrochloride 2mg (imodium)

Movicol (laxative)

Wound management 

Liquiband human tissue glue

Trauma fix Military field dressing 

3M skin stapler & remover 

steri strips 

Compeeds 

Assorted plasters 

Non adhesive dressings (selection)

adhesive dressings (selection)

Suture kit 

Wound cleansing wipes 

Bandages 

Triangular bandages

compressed dressings no 15 

Eye dressing 

Tubigrip roll 

Elasticated bandage 

XL sams splint x2

crepe bandage 

Burns dressing 

Cool therm burns dressing base camp kit assorted dressings

Paranet dressing

Hardwear

Ventolin Inhaler 

Zinc oxide tape 

Savlon spray

Deep heat cream 

Sterile eye wash 

Q tips 

Trauma sheers 

Digital thermometer 

E45 cream

Sterile gloves 

Foil survival blanket 

Injectables hardwear, needles,syriinges,giving set,butterfly needles.

Aqua tabs water purification 

Rehydration powder 

Sharps disposable pad 

Stethoscope

Sphygmomanometer

Cotton wool 

Povidone Iodine antiseptic solution 

glucose tablets 

pen & note pad 

1L Saline infusion (sodium chloride 0.9%)

Face guard CPR

WMT Field guide 

Oxford university expedition and wilderness medicine handbook.

Kit # 2

This is my small day kit that I use on short day trips or when I know that help is nearby. The main aims of the kit are the following:

Stop bleeding 

Clean & dress a wound 

Temporary wound closure 

Support an injured/fractured limb

Deal with a small burn 

Mild pain relief

Rehydration 

Eye wash  

Kit#2 is normally stored in a watershed dry bag.

Case study  

I was travelling through Morocco to run a guide course in the Atlas mountains. I was travelling light as I was going to be on the road for 1 month in various countries. All I had with me was kit #2. One of the guests had been on the roof of the bus unloading some kayaks. Whilst climbing down from the roof he slipped and cut his ankle on the way down. We were 7 hours away from the nearest medical help in a dubious back country clinic. Ideally the ankle could have done with a few stitches.

By using my field guide & small first aid kit I managed to clean the wound and steristrip it back together. One of the key points we learnt on the advanced medicine course was to document as much as possible in case of later repercussions. In Kit#2 I had exactly what I needed to initially treat the wound and change the dressings and keep it clean for the next few days.

The injured ankle 48 hours after the accident.

Summary

Spend some extra cash and attend a first rate first aid course that gives you the level of training for the areas you will be operating in. Don't cut corners on your training.

Take some time to build your own medical kit and make sure it is secured in a suitable container.

Carry a field guide if possible. Also have a pen handy. Remember "No Notes is No defense". Take pictures, make notes, film if you can any first aid treatment given as you may need to recall on them at a later point.

Remember kis kis: keep it safe & keep it simple. After all prevention is better than cure.

Safe adventures

Mark  

First seen on: http://lapinkoskikoulu.blogspot.com/2015/10/wilderness-medical-training-medical-kits.html