Medical receptionists are the first contact point for patients in a healthcare setting, and they ensure the day-to-day of hospitals, health clinics and doctor’s offices run smoothly. There may be one medical receptionist per team, or several teams, depending on the size of the healthcare facility and the services they provide. Medical receptionists take on a range of day-to-day duties including:

• Greeting patients 
• Answering patient queries over the phone, via email and in person
• Making phone calls to patients and other departments
• Scheduling appointments and signing patients in on arrival
• Directing patients where to go and passing on any other information needed
• Organise and update patient records
• Ordering stationery supplies 
• Photocopying and managing mail
• Transcribing notes 
• Liaise with staff and patients and pass on messages to different departments

The duties you take on as a medical receptionist depend on the type of environment you’re working in. Some roles require you to take on more administrative tasks such as in medical offices, however, in larger facilities, these tasks may be given to administrative assistants or junior receptionists. Other receptionist jobs might focus more on patient care especially if your work environment has patients that are very unwell or emotionally vulnerable.

There is no strict set of qualifications needed to become a medical receptionist, but certain qualifications help when pursuing this career path.

The Certificate in Medical Reception is one of the most relevant qualifications you can have for this career. When you complete this certification, you will have gained the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the role whilst also making yourself more competitive in the job market. If you want to enrol in a more in-depth medical receptionist course that you can study online, then enrol in the Certificate in Medical Reception and Terminology course. This certification program is similar to the one above, but instead of a 60-hour duration, this one is over 200 hours. Completing this certificate will also open up even more job opportunities in the healthcare industry.

This is a more in-depth course that delves deeper into medical terminology and prepares you to take on a more diverse range of duties such as medical transcribing. Therefore, this is a good option if you want to pursue work in a busy hospital or clinic, advance more quickly to head receptionist status or want to open up your job opportunities.

If you want a more general qualification than the medical receptionist courses above, which can also be applied to sectors outside of healthcare, then Administration courses could be your best option. These courses cover a range of medical administration and general administration tasks and help you prepare for admin roles across various industries.

Several essential skills are needed to become a successful medical receptionist, and the importance of this role to patients and healthcare professionals means that these skills must be well developed. 

Some of the skills that a medical receptionist needs include:

• Communication skills and customer service skills
• English language skills
• IT skills (e.g. proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel)
• Excellent time management
• Organisational skills
• Team-working skills
• Empathy and interpersonal skills
• Knowledge of medical terminology and abbreviations
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Patient confidentiality and discretion when handling health records and patient data

There are no set requirements for work experience in this role, however, employers often look favourably at candidates who have relevant experience. 

Relevant experience can include jobs in administration, customer service or healthcare, as there are likely to be many transferable skills obtained from working in these areas. Duties such as answering customer queries, working with medical records or working in a busy environment can help boost your resume and increase your chances of securing medical receptionist jobs. 

If you don’t have previous experience in any relevant areas, it might be worth pursuing work experience or an internship. If you have a course under your belt, especially if it is an Administration or Medical Receptionist certificate, then this can help fill any skills gaps left if you do not have direct experience as a medical receptionist.