If you consider it, reception is the very beginning of almost any service you may get or expect from an institution. Since the receptionist sets the first impression of a firm in front of the visitors. This job is never to be taken lightly as it affects the overall customer or visitor experience and process in the long run.
There are certain fields where the job of a receptionist becomes even more important. This article is going to be all about medical receptionists. In particular, we will discuss every aspect of this job like a medical receptionist’s duties and responsibilities, etc.
The job and responsibilities of a medical receptionist
Before we go any further, let us talk about the job of a medical receptionist. Well, more like all the other receptionists, a medical receptionist is responsible for taking care of visitors in the first place.
The word “taking care” has quite a broad meaning in this context. Let us take a look at the responsibilities of a medical receptionist in brief.
- They welcome patients and any other visitors who get inside the medical facility.
- Answering any query and addressing the concerns of the visitors are also the responsibilities of a medical receptionist.
- Helping people complete their forms or any other documents related to the medical facility.
- Sharing the necessary documents through different media whether it be mailing, faxing, etc.
- Making fluent use of the medical software in order to complete the billing and payment procedures.
- Scheduling appointments and making sure everything is going as per the plan.
- Running appropriate visitor management software and processes.
- Being able to work variably as the time demands. Some people arrive with severe difficulties. In such a case, it is the responsibility of the medical receptionist to make additional arrangements for such patients whether it be relaxation of waiting time or anything else.
- Keeping track of medical equipment and other essential supplies.
- Apart from scheduling the appointment of patients, the medical receptionist has to take care of the meetings and other schedules of the doctors.
- While going on with all the responsibilities mentioned above, it is the supreme duty of a medical receptionist to maintain the confidentiality of every piece of information related to either patients or doctors.
This is not an ultimate list of medical receptionist duties as their roles and responsibilities can vary based on the organisation. Medical facilities vary too much based on their specialty, so does the duty of staff inside.
How important is a medical receptionist other than these fundamental responsibilities?
As we have talked about previously in this article, the receptionist is responsible for setting the first impression. Not only of themselves, but the institution in the eyes of the patients/visitors.
Whether someone has arrived in the medical facility or they are talking via phone, the medical receptionist has to set the right impressions. The job of the receptionist here is to create an image of the institution and its processes in the visitor’s minds just by talking to them.
You can never bring value to the patients visiting medical institutions without a proper receptionist.
A receptionist plays some of the very significant roles to keep the medical institution running by helping the healthcare management, as well as doctors and nurses in what they do. In medical institutions, there is no end to the list of responsibilities.
Daily and frequent tasks
There are some tasks that need to be done on a daily basis (such as workplace cleaning or management of this at least) while there are other tasks that pop up all of a sudden. Addressing and solving all those problems in time so there is a minimum inconvenience is one of the major medical receptionist duties.
Those unexpected problems don’t have a warning sign and there is no well-defined rule to solve them. So, the medical receptionist needs to be highly practical and hard-working.
There are different departments in a medical facility and professionals involved there do not have much time to focus on other things.
In a situation like that, the only option you can rely on is the medical receptionist. Since flexibility is the very essence of their job, they are always ready to deploy the right solutions to the problems faced by patients from any department.
The regular job of a receptionist includes interacting with different departments inside the medical firm. Almost all the issues associated with inconvenience in service can be addressed by the receptionist.
Qualities that make a perfect medical receptionist
You have got enough information about the medical receptionist duties by now. However in order to be able to work in such an environment, you need to possess several qualities. Here are some of the skills you must have to do this job effectively.
Better communication skills
As you already know about the extent of interaction needed in the job of a medical receptionist, there is no way someone can do it without good communication skills. When there is so much interaction, you must have better communication skills to get the job done effectively.
However, you need to understand the meaning of communication here. Communication is the process of sharing views and ideas with each other. So, listening patiently is also a very important part of better communication skills.
Enhanced ability to work in stress
The responsibilities we have discussed in the previous sections must have given you some idea about how stressful the situation may get some time. And the job of a receptionist is to be calm and organised throughout those times.
In fact, they should never fail to deliver what is needed irrespective of the workload. Anyone would not be able to do it if he/she doesn’t have multi-tasking skills.
Being professional
People take the receptionists as the face of the organisations. Every aspect of the receptionist’s behaviour should represent professionalism. This is a very important part of setting the right image in the eyes of the visitors.
Final words
There is no end to the list of medical receptionist duties if we start considering them minutely. However, understanding the situation and coming up with an instant and reliable solution lies at the centre of it.
Apart from everything mentioned above, you must have the proper qualifications before you think of landing in this job. No one can have those skills without proper training.
About the Author
James Strathford writes for a number of outlets such as Zipline and Premier Web from his home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, NSW. He enjoys bush walking, reading contemporary fiction and the latest gadgets.
