Dental assistant start career?

Would being a healthcare administrative assistant (or something similar) be a good career, at least as a start?

• I would like to work in the healthcare industry, just not clinical, and can be very organized. But it is a good place to at least get started? Is it really difficult to move up and/or ...show more

• Answer:

  Your update changes the game completely. Medical Office Assistant is usually reception and possibly some back office. IT will be dealing with computers almost entirely. Physicians were encouraged to switch to digital/electronic records as part of Obamacare/ACA. They got massive tax incentives to do so. Future medical records folks will be responsible for making sure that any physical notes get into systems, that everything links (lab reports, radiology, PCPs, nursing notes), and maintaining records for active patients. Currently, offices switching to EMR/EHR systems may have busywork in moving paper records into digital form. As far as career, it's not an easy question to answer. A standard office assistant has some promotion wiggle room, but not much. It's semi-lateral moves over to surgical scheduler, general office (less front desk stuff), etc. It's possible for a really really good office assistant to act in a managerial fashion for a private practice, without college education. In such a case, experience within the office will help land you such a position. Whether or not you can then take that experience and find a job elsewhere is questionable. For computer records tech, your movement will be minimal, especially without a BS or higher. As systems become more and more automated, the need for 'cleanup' for records will become less needed. Doc charts as he sees the patient, dictates via voice recog or macros, and it automatically goes into the patient record. A bill is generated, it is coded, and notes are sent to the referring physician and the PCP. The doc corrects as he goes to make sure that a tarsal tunnel release doesn't come up as a carpal tunnel release, but there isn't someone there taking the physical X-ray, transporting it to the radiologist, bringing it back to records, and then bringing it to the Ortho on appointment day. It's all there online and ready to go - in theory. If office work interests you, look at getting an entry level position as a receptionist at *any* kind of medical/dental/health insurance office. Usually the smaller practices will be happy with customer service experience, a willingness to learn, and a HSD/GED. Once you get going on that, ask about incentives to return to school part time and look at starting some sort of health care management education that will eventually culminate in an MHA. If you could take evening and weekend classes, you could get your AA then BA in a reasonable amount of time. Not quickly, but eventually. Once you have that BHA/BBA, you can get better work with larger clinics. Once you get that MHA, you can do mid-upper level management with hospitals, large clinics, insurance companies, and even pharma companies. Good Luck!