The healthcare industry provides many dynamic and exciting career options that are lucrative and in high demand. The Government of Canada predicts the prospects for Medical Office Administrators will continue to be balanced over the next decade. Job demand is especially high in British Columbia due to employment growth, upcoming retirements, and a small number of people who are trained for the position. 

At Discovery Community College, we prepare students for jobs that are in high demand and assist students with finding a career in their field. Our Medical and Dental Office Management Professional training will prepare you with the knowledge and tools you need to be successful. 

As a medical office administrator, you will be working with physicians and staff who rely on you to keep their offices running smoothly. Read on for 5 tips for keeping your medical office organized. 

1. Prioritize Your Tasks to Remain Organized Throughout the Day

During your medical office admin training, you will learn about the many responsibilities you’ll oversee during your new career. The first step of establishing organization in an office environment is prioritizing your tasks, from urgent to less important. Creating a daily to-do list can give you clarity and direction for the tasks at hand. It may also help to schedule specific blocks of time each day for certain tasks, such as opening and responding to mail or checking inventory and ordering supplies.

2. Use an Office Calendar to Keep Everyone Informed

To keep a medical office running smoothly, it’s imperative to have an office calendar that is accessible to all staff. Having a calendar allows for visibility and reminders of important events. This calendar can consist of dates such as meetings, financial report deadlines, staff vacation time, and so on. Planning each month ahead of time and adding to it as needed is an important habit to acquire to maintain an organized office.  Many medical offices use appointment scheduling programs when working with clients to ensure patient confidentiality is maintained.

3. Establish and Maintain a Filing System After Your Medical Office Admin Training

As a medical office administrator, you’ll be responsible for establishing and maintaining medical filing systems. Many medical offices are moving towards keeping digital health records. In fact, a national project funded by the Government of Canada and led by Canada Health Infoway is pushing toward the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) that are easily accessible by patients and their doctors. 

If your office is using paper records, there are many strategies to stay organized. The most popular arrangement of files is by patient name or number. In addition, using colour coding on labels can help you find charts more quickly. When storing files, you can increase organization by establishing primary filing systems with current patients and secondary filing systems for archived patient information, making it easier to find the files you need. 

4. Create a System for Organizing Incoming Mail 

As you’ll learn during your medical office management training, one of the more time-consuming tasks of the job is checking and responding to mail or delegating it to the right person. To stay organized, you can place mail into three different categories: do now, do later, or file. This allows you to deal with urgent matters quickly and put off less important tasks for another time. As well, by setting aside a block of time each day dedicated to this responsibility, you’ll be able to focus on the task at hand and ensure you’re not overlooking an urgent piece of information.

5. Keep Inventory and Order Medical and Office Supplies Online

As a medical office administrator, it’s important to create a system for keeping inventory of medical and office supplies. You’ll need to create a comprehensive inventory list, either by making a spreadsheet yourself or using an app or software. You may also want to include calendar reminders for when warranties end or when maintenance is due for equipment. In addition, ordering online or setting automatic timed orders will help you stay organized and save time.

With small class sizes and industry experts for professors, Discovery Community College prepares you for an exciting position in the healthcare industry. With flexible schedules and short-term training, you can be ready for your new career in no time. 

Are you interested in starting your medical office administration training?

Contact Discovery Community College for more information today!