This program combines the basic knowledge of an Medical Office Administrator with the specialized knowledge of a Health Unit Clerk which will open many more job opportunity doors for the student.

Medical Office Assistants perform a variety of administrative duties in doctors’ offices, hospitals, medical clinics and other medical settings as well as support of managers and professional employers. They are employed in offices throughout the public and private sectors.

The occupational objective of the Health Unit Clerk program is to prepare the student to gain employment in the settings such as the following: hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, public health care agencies, long-term care facilities where they will perform non-clinical tasks usually under the supervision of nursing staff and provide the link between patients, physicians, nursing staff and other departments. Job duties and environments vary by place of employment. Some Hospital Unit Clerks are employed part-time or work evening or weekend shifts.

The job outlook for qualified unit clerks is very good due to advances in medical technology. According to the Health Careers Center, job opportunities are expected to be plentiful for health unit clerks, with growth mirroring that of all health care professions.

The learning outcomes include the following:

• To perform receptionist duties such as greeting and checking in patients
• To manage and coordinate scheduling of appointments
• To compile patients’ charts
• To transcribe physicians’ orders
• To prepare birth and/or death certificates
• To record vital signs
• To order hospital supplies
• To complete the admission, preoperative, and postoperative procedures

Other duties may include:

• Receiving new patients
• Collecting patient records
• Ordering hospital supplies

CPR, First Aid and WHMIS will be completed during the program.