How to Handle Stress in the Office

When working 40 hours a week at work there is going to be a lot of stress involved. Though, you cannot completely eliminate job stress from your life, there are a handful of things that you could do to get the stress degrees lower. The best way to deal with workplace tensions is by making modifications to your personal approach. Having a regularly negative mindset to things at the office will add to your anxiety. So try and be as optimistic as possible at your office. Beginning your day on the proper note can additionally assist you at the office. Most people experience stress at the office as a result of having started their day on a bitter note. Here are some tips on how to handle stress in the office:

1. Come to work five to ten minutes before reporting time.
2. Arrange your work.
3. Steer clear of the stressful work related debate. Try to avoid bad debate such as gossip and backbiting.

~If you ever get really stressed out take a break or take deep breaths and just try to calm yourself down.

How to Create a Positive Work Environment

When you are a medical administrative assistant you might be working 40-hour long weeks. You are going to  have to be able to work in a nice positive environment. Here are some tips on how to create a positive work environment.

1. Accept the right position: Secure a position that positively suits you. You should know what your key skills are, what type of work you want to do, what kind of role you would like, and where you see yourself in five years
2. Be a positive person: Show coworkers that you are available and wiling to help them
3. Take responsibility: Take responsibility for the direction of your career
4. Communicate with your manager: Meet with your manager regularly to ensure you are on track for meeting his or her expectations, and your performance goals
5. Be social: Interact with your colleagues in a non-working way

 

Career Outcomes

Today’s health-care industry can offer a wealth of opportunities to well-trained medical administrative assistants. With the education you earn, you can become a medical administrative assistant and join the team in workplaces such as:

• Hospitals
• Insurance companies
• Pharmacies
• Doctors’ offices
• dental offices
• chiropractic offices
• general practitioner’s offices

What medical administrative assistants actually do is to make sure that the patients pay their medical bills and that the insurance companies follow through and pay their part of the patient’s medical bills as well. The job of medical administrative assistant is a great opportunity for people who enjoy keeping financial books, handling money and taking care of an office budget.

Talking Correctly on the Phone

When you answer the phone while in a Doctors Office there are many things that you should remember.  It's not all just about how your procedure is in answering the phone it's also your tone and the way you talk.  Here are some tips on how you talk correctly on the phone:

• Smile while on the phone, it helps keep an upbeat intonation as you speak
• Never, never lose you temper, always keep your professional courtesy  
• Be direct and simple on your sentences
•  Try to keep the same tone of voice during the entire conversation.  The caller could misunderstand the way you're speaking and think you are joking with them, try not to vary much on your tone and keep a moderate one
• Do not use slang or use words that you would use with your school buddies, friends,or mumbles like "uh huh" or "um"  
• Always be positive on the phone, even on bad day
• If you're taking notes during the call, take them immediately and accurately, ask the caller to spell it, if needed
• Don't leave people on hold for too long, just about 30-45 seconds, then ask if the caller wishes to continue to hold or to call back later

How to Code Folders for Medical Filing

Patient medical information should be stored as a unit record.  This means that all information is stored together or quickly accessible as one record.  For privacy reasons, it is not recommended that patient records be filed by social security number.  Here are the instructions on how to file properly:

• Research the filing coding systems.  They include:

• Numeric with color codes, based on assigned medical record numbers.     
• Alphabetical, generally by patient last name.

• One type is combination color-coded numeric systems.  These are the most commonly used forms of medical filing.  These filing systems are best for larger organizations because there is room for additions of records within combination's of numerals. 

• The other type is alphabetical coding, usually by the patient's last name, to file medical records. However, this system is best used only in small facilities with low patient turnover rate because large numbers of common last names can cause file retrieval to be time consuming.

• Provide the appropriate code file folder.  Once the filing method is chosen, then the appropriate information can be placed in the medical record file folder.  Many file folders can be purchased with pre-printed colors and blocks of numbers.  For smaller offices using color coding, color-coded numeric stickers can be purchased and placed on the tab-edge of blank folders.  Once records have been coded, then patient name and medical record number also should be written or added with a label on the front of the file folder.

• Ensure file coding information matches patient information on the inside of the record.  Because medical records are legal documents for patient care, it is imperative to be able to retrieve the correct information quickly while treating the patient.
  
  
   

Answering the Phone

As you work as a Medical Administrative Assistant you are going to have to answer the phone many times a day.  People are going to need your help and ask many questions.  I am going to show you a guide on how to answer the phone correctly.  With these steps you will do it the best way to satisfy your customers and your boss.  When the phone rings:

•  Let it ring twice to give you a few seconds to get ready to answer in case you were busy with something and then pick up the phone
• You announce the place where you work, say your name and ask how you can be useful to them.  For example. "Good morning, this is Company X office, Kelly speaking, how may I help you?"
• Then you listen to the callers needs, see if you can help them and do so directly in a preferably short, clear, and simple way
• If you can't help that person and you need to transfer the call to someone else, say to the caller that they need to speak with another section and that you are going to transfer the call 
•  When you're going to transfer the call to another person, warn first who the caller is and the purpose of the call then transfer the call
• If you have helped the caller, ask if they need more help, say have a good day and then good bye 

Medical Coding

When you go to school to become a Medical Administrative Assistant, one of the career paths you could take is Medical Coding.  Medical coding is the transformation of narrative descriptions of diseases, injuries, and health-care procedures into numeric or alphanumeric designations or called code numbers. The code numbers are detailed in order to accurately describe the diagnoses, which is what is wrong with the patient and the procedures performed to test or correct these diagnoses. Because medicine is not always an exact science, codes were developed to identify all reasons for seeking health-care.  When you are working in the office as a Medical Coder, the doctor will give you the patients report and you are to then put the correct code number in place of it.

Common uses of medical codes in health-care include:

• Identifying symptoms that must be evaluated and to alert other health-care professionals to life-threatening allergies
• Reporting services performed for reimbursement
• Helping with administrative functions such as staffing, scheduling, and adding or decreasing health-care services
• Comparing facilities and planning for new services in under-served areas

Typing on the Keyboard

When you are going to college to become a Medical Administrative Assistant one of the courses you have to take is keyboarding.  In this course you learn the correct way to place your fingers and the fastest way to type.  When you get a job in this field, typing on the keyboard is very important.  You are going to be at the computer desk all day long putting in information.  So I am going to teach you the correct and fastest way to type.  

When you are sitting at the desk make sure you are not too high or too low in your chair.  Sit in the upright position and put both feet flat on the floor.  Then place your fingers on the home row keys on the keyboard.  Start with your left hand. Put your first finger on F, second finger on D, third finger on S, Fourth finger on A.  Then place your right hand on the keyboard.  Put your first finger on J, second on K, third on L and forth on ;.  When you are typing try not to look at the keys.  This is difficult but will help you improve typing.  Some ways that can help you improve typing is online chat rooms, emailing, creating web pages, and online typing games.  Here are some links for online typing games that can help you with your typing.  http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/QWERTY-Warriors.html and http://www.typingtest.com/

How to Write a Resume

                                       

A medical resume should be written with great care.  There is no room for error in this profession.  It needs a lot of dedication, commitment, expertise and professionalism. There are things that you need to figure out before you start writing your resume.  You need to know your:

Contact Information: Full name, Campus and permanent addresses, Telephone numbers, Email address

Job Objective: Your career goal and top qualifications

Summary: What you have accomplished

Education: List your highest degree first. Name of institution, city and state, Degree, major and year awarded,GPA (optional)

Skills: Any job related skills

Qualifications and Experience: Describe experience and achievements

Activities: Any community activities

Personal: Certifications, special awards, etc

Letters of reference 

When you are done figuring all this information out, you are now ready to put it into the resume format.  Here are two templates that you can follow to help you complete your resume:  http://www.bestsampleresume.com/sample-medical-resume/sample-medical-resume-1.html and http://www.bestsampleresume.com/sample-administrative-assistant-resume/sample-administrative-assistant-resume-2.html

Before you are ready to hand in your resume make sure someone else looks it over for you.  You don't want to have any mistakes.

Being Organized

 
A messy office inspires no one. Everyone knows someone who claims they can "find anything" in their messy office. But how long does it really take? When you are working in an office you are going to want to be as neat and organized as possible.  There are going to be multiple things that you are going to have to keep track of and you cant mix them up.  With being a Medical Administrative Assistant and working in the office there are going to be thousands of patients and you have to keep track of each and every one of their patient folders.  I am going to give you some tips on how to stay organized in the office and how to keep your desk neat and clean. 

~ Keep essential items on your desktop (computer, phone, fax, card file)

~Have a master to-do list for each day at your desk

~Pre-Sort the mail.  To-File, To-Read, To-Contact

~Use a variety of containers to organize office supplies, paper clips and pens

~Color-coding your files makes it faster to find information

~Keep an assortment of all-occasion cards and stamps in your desk

~Return all phone calls and emails as soon as you receive them 

Always remember a clean and organized desk makes a happier person at the end of a long day.

How to Dress

So now that you got the job you are going to have to dress the right way.  But remember you can't dress to revealing.  So I am going to tell you the appropriate way to dress when you are a Medical Administrative Assistant.  If you are a woman in this field your appropriate clothing to wear is dress pants or skirts with hemlines slightly above the knee or at calf-length.  For tops wear blouses or conservative dressy tops.  Men should wear tailored slacks and dress shirts.  For foot wear you usually shouldn't wear open toed shoes.  So for women wear low heeled shoes and for men dress shoes.  Always wear something appropriate but comfortable because you might be on your feet a lot during the day.  Wear as few accessories as possible, they will get in the way of the job.  Women and men should keep nails short and clean.  Lastly women should wear neutral colors of make-up and avoid using perfumes in case some patients are allergic.  

How To Become a Medical Administaive Assistant

If you ever wanted to become an Medical Administrative Assistant you are in the right place.  I am going to tell you step by step the easiest way to become one.  First you find a college that you are interested in and make sure that they have the program.  I am going to suggest going to Northampton Community College.  The staff and professors are nice and helpful there. 

  
So once you find your college you have to take the right classes.  For this program its a two year course.  The classes that you have to take are: Speech Communication, English I and II, Keyboarding I and II, Electronic Keyboarding, Introduction to Windows XP, Internet, and Powerpoint, Medical Terminology, Word Processing Application, Basic Medical Transcription, Coding for Medical Services, Processing Health Care Services Reimbursements, Business Communications, Advanced Document Production, Microsoft Office Software Applications, Modern Office Procedures, Medical Office Management Practices, an  Internship, and six electives.  After the two year course is over you will finish with an associate in applied science degree. 

     
Then its time to look for a job.  The different types of jobs that will be available for you to do are to become a Medical Office Manager, Medical Administrative Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Medical Receptionist, Medical Billing Clerk, Medical Transcriptionist, Medical Coder, Medical Records Clerk, Medical Secretary.  So I hope I helped you find the career you are looking for and good luck.