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Confederation College Recognition of Achievement

Medical Office Assistant

Medical Office Assistant program prepares students with administrative and communication skills for healthcare office environments. Graduates gain medical terminology, office procedures, and specialized software knowledge to support healthcare professionals in clinics, hospitals, and medical practices.

Program Start Options

IntakeDurationFormatCampusDomesticInternational
5030
Any Time
Up to 5 years
1 semester
Part-Time
Online Self-Paced
Remote
Domestic students accepted
International students not accepted
Distance Education Program

The Medical Office Assistant program helps you develop strong administrative and clerical skills with an emphasis on interpersonal, organizational, computer, and communication skills. This program also features course content that is specific to the healthcare sector.

What you will learn

You obtain relevant skills including medical terminology, pharmacology, information on medical and surgical procedures and tests, as well as a solid understanding of software commonly used in healthcare offices. Training in this program makes you highly valuable to employers looking for skilled medical administrative and support staff.

Please review the Courses, Admissions Requirements and Getting Started tabs for more information on this program.

Getting Started

Learn how to begin your educational journey by visiting our Getting Started page.

Contact Information

Admission Requirements

Any Time

Any Time (5030)

Admission Requirements for Domestic Students

  1. 19 years of age or older or
  2. Ontario Secondary School Diploma (or equivalent) with courses from the College (C), University (U), University/College (U/C), or Open (O) preparation levels with Grade 12 English (E/C/U) Level.
  3. or successful completion of the Mature Student Assessment.
  4. or successful completion of the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) or General Education Development Test (GED), prior to May 2024.
  5. or appropriate credits from the Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) program - LBS level 5 Communications and LBS level 4 Mathematics.

Complete the Application for Admission to Part-time Program

Admission Requirements for International Students

This intake is not available for international students.

Courses

1 intake

Any Time5030

Semester 1

OL 120

Office Technology and Procedures

42 hours

This course helps the student acquire practical and transferable office administration skills, attitudes, behaviours and knowledge, which can be valuable in obtaining and retaining careers in today's fast-changing office environment. Topics covered include Internet research and email messages; managing time and stress; telecommunications; office reception and customer service; planning meetings and travel arrangements; handling the office mail; and document management. This course includes mandatory group work. We recommend viewing the course schedule immediately upon logging into the course to view course and group work requirements.

OL 702

Excel - Core

42 hours

Learn to use Microsoft Excel to create and format spreadsheets in order to analyze data and make more informed business decisions. You will discover how to; create, edit, format and print workbooks; use mathematical formulas and functions; create and format charts and shapes; insert images; cut, copy and paste data. Computer Software Requirements: Microsoft Excel version 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365. MAC users are not supported in this course.

OL 155

Building and Maintaining Customer Relationships

48 hours

In this course, students develop an understanding of customer service and the skills associated with understanding the needs of customers, meeting those needs, and fostering an environment that encourages customers to return.

OL 402

Medical Terminology

42 hours

Develop the language required to communicate effectively in a medical setting. Medical terminology and word structure related to twelve body systems will be studied. Terminology related to basic diagnostic procedures and basic pharmacology will be included.

OL 406

Medical Terminology II

36 hours

This course has been designed for medical office professionals to concentrate on the pronunciation and verbalization of medical terminology that was learned in the first level of Medical Terminology. Students will listen to audio files to learn the pronunciation of medical terms involving all body systems. Assessment of the student's ability to pronounce medical terms will be done through audio files recorded by the student and submitted for evaluation. There is also a theory component to each assignment to be done online. Computer Software Required: Audio recording program. Computer microphone required to record assignments. Computer with: Windows, or Mac OS X, AND CD/DVD drive, sound card, speakers, media player software (ie: Windows Media Player). Students may also use recording software such as Voice Record Pro on their cell phone or tablet to do their audio recordings. Prerequisite: OL402 Medical Terminology

OL 441

Working and Communicating in a Medical Setting

36 hours

Learn theory and techniques for effective interactions and work skills in a wide variety of medical settings. Students will focus on developing their communication and human relations skills in addition to increasing their ability to navigate the medical settings including professional roles, responsibilities and professional development.

OL 425

Pharmacology for Medical Office Professionals

45 hours

Pharmacology for the medical office professional is intended to help medical office staff to develop an understanding of how drugs work, drug classifications, methods of administration, and the major drug groups affecting the various body systems. Common drug examples will be looked at with each drug classification. The meaning of Doctor's Orders using commonly accepted medical abbreviations will also be discussed. This course is open to current employees in health-related areas or those who hope for such employment in the future

OL 424

Medical Conditions for Medical Office Professionals

45 hours

This course introduces the student to important concepts related to human diseases. The most common diseases and disorders of each body system are presented along with a review of the anatomy and physiology pertinent to the content. Additionally, the effects of aging on the system and the relationship of aging to disease are presented. This course is open to people currently employed in health related areas or to those who hope to do so in the future.

OL 335

Organizational Business Communications

45 hours

Provides an overview of important communication concepts and skills required in business. Topics covered include: writing clear reports and documentation, making effective presentations, and fostering interpersonal skills. Computer Software Requirements: The ability to record and post an video message is a small activity requirement.

Choose one course from this group:

S10

OL 420

Understanding Medical Tests for Medical Office Staff

36 hours

This course assists medical office professionals in developing an understanding of common medical tests related to body systems. Knowledge of medical tests will help the student educate patients in relation to the description and purpose of specific tests, as well as any preparations required. It will also provide the student with references to build on their knowledge of care during and after the test based on expected results. This course is open to people who are currently employed in health-related areas or hope to join the field in the future.

OL 428

Understanding Surgical Procedures Medical Office Staff

36 hours

This course has been designed for medical office professionals to assist in developing an understanding of common surgical procedures related to a wide variety of body systems. Knowledge in the area of surgical procedures will help the student to educate the patient prior to and after surgery, what to anticipate, and expected results. This course is open to people currently employed in health related areas or hope to do so in the future. OL402 Medical Terminology is strongly recommended prior to the start of this course.

OL 459

Medical OHIP Billing

42 hours

This course is designed to provide the student with the basic principles of efficient Health Claim Billing in Ontario. The student will learn how to use the Schedule of Benefits and Preambles of the Ministry of Health, as well as be introduced to computerized billing. It is recommended that students have taken OL402 Medical Terminology prior to this course, have good typing skills and some computer knowledge. MACs are not compatible unless they run a Windows OS. The MAC user will be given an alternate theory assignment in lieu of the computerized billing portion of the course, however, the MAC user does not have the opportunity to practice on the billing software.

Choose one course from this group:

S20

OL 420

Understanding Medical Tests for Medical Office Staff

36 hours

This course assists medical office professionals in developing an understanding of common medical tests related to body systems. Knowledge of medical tests will help the student educate patients in relation to the description and purpose of specific tests, as well as any preparations required. It will also provide the student with references to build on their knowledge of care during and after the test based on expected results. This course is open to people who are currently employed in health-related areas or hope to join the field in the future.

OL 428

Understanding Surgical Procedures Medical Office Staff

36 hours

This course has been designed for medical office professionals to assist in developing an understanding of common surgical procedures related to a wide variety of body systems. Knowledge in the area of surgical procedures will help the student to educate the patient prior to and after surgery, what to anticipate, and expected results. This course is open to people currently employed in health related areas or hope to do so in the future. OL402 Medical Terminology is strongly recommended prior to the start of this course.

OL 459

Medical OHIP Billing

42 hours

This course is designed to provide the student with the basic principles of efficient Health Claim Billing in Ontario. The student will learn how to use the Schedule of Benefits and Preambles of the Ministry of Health, as well as be introduced to computerized billing. It is recommended that students have taken OL402 Medical Terminology prior to this course, have good typing skills and some computer knowledge. MACs are not compatible unless they run a Windows OS. The MAC user will be given an alternate theory assignment in lieu of the computerized billing portion of the course, however, the MAC user does not have the opportunity to practice on the billing software.

Choose one course from this group:

S30

OL 700

Introduction to Computers 1

42 hours

This course will familiarize students with the digital world by exploring the hardware and software of their computer system. Students will learn to use the most common functions of the Windows operating system including File Explorer for file management, utility programs, various web browsers for social media while observing and identifying security and privacy concerns and issues. Students will learn to build properly formatted documents using Microsoft Word and spreadsheets including correctly functioning formulas using Microsoft Excel and create commanding presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint while using the cloud to store and access their files. Computer Software Requirements: Windows and Microsoft Office 2016, 2019 or 365. MAC users will not be supported in this course.

OL 370

Word Core

42 hours

Learn to use MS Word 2019 or 365 for Windows, a word processing package that is convenient, efficient, and widely adopted for business and personal use. Learn to create, edit, format and print documents. Use paragraph, page, and character formatting commands. Create multiple page documents with table, and desktop publishing with MS Word. Computer Software Requirements: Desktop version of MS Word 2016, 2019 and 365 are supported. Online Word does not include all features taught and assessed. MAC OSX users are not supported.

Meet the Program Staff

1 staff member

Careers

Some medical office assistants work in small, private practices while others work in larger group practices. They may work for a general family practice, a specialist such as an oncologist, or in a dental environment, rehab or chiropractic office. Medical office assistants may also work in large hospital settings.

See Career Opportunities

Clicking the button will take you to a detailed dashboard with up-to-date job data tailored to your program, including salary ranges, job titles, and projected demand.

Pathways

Confederation College offers a variety of articulation agreements designed to help you advance your education and career. Whether you're coming to us from another institution or planning your next steps after completing your program, our pathways make your transition seamless and effective.

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