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Medical Assistant Skills: Customer Service

November 22, 2018

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You need to have good customer service skills to become a successful Medical Assistant. At Career College of Northern Nevada, you’ll receive comprehensive, hands-on Medical Assistant training combined with traditional classroom education, which includes developing the organizational, communication and critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in our Medical Assistant training program.

Although medical offices provide diagnosis and treatments, their goal is to be financially successful, which makes them like any other place of business. Understanding that patients are your customers and doing your best to meet their needs is important in maintaining their loyalty and ensuring they don’t go elsewhere for care.

With the Baby Boomers aging, there is a very high demand for Medical Assistants and other health care personnel. With the increase in the number of procedures, the number of group practices, clinics and other health care facilities will continue to increase to meet demand.

Providing customer service to patients will be more important than ever. Because Medical Assistants are often the first and last contact a patient has during a visit, much of the customer service responsibility is a function of the Medical Assistant’s role. Here are a few things you can do to provide a high level of customer service:

Communicate effectively

You’ll interact with doctors, nurses, administrators, and patients. Good communication skills are essential, especially when explaining procedures or re-explaining what the doctor said to help a patient better understand is a common occurrence.

Develop organizational skills

It is essential to have effective time management skills to be as efficient as possible.

Exercise patience

With the hustle and bustle of a busy office, it is essential to practice patience with staff and patients.

Have a great attitude

Keep your smile handy; it goes a long way toward making people feel good. The ability to handle staff and patients is important and sometimes difficult; a good attitude goes a long way with patients and staff alike.

Pay attention to detail

Physicians and insurance companies rely on accuracy, so medical assistants have to be accurate and thorough when recording patient information and precise when taking vital signs and talking to patients about treatment.

Show compassion for patients

In the healthcare industry, your customers are dealing with illness, injury or pain. Show some empathy for the patient’s situation.

Be professional on the phone

Be professional and courteous on the phone. When a patient is ill and must make the call to the physician’s office, the Medical Assistant is often the one taking the call. Be kind and courteous to them, they are already feeling awful, they want to hear a friendly voice on the other end, ensuring that you can help them with their needs.

Contact us today!

If you’re ready for a career in an industry where you can make a difference in people’s lives, consider becoming a Medical Assistant.

For more information about the Medical Assistant Program at CCNN, call 775-241-4445.

Enroll in CCNN’s Medical Assistant Program