Medical Office Specialist

NOTICE: This is not a program listing for the current school year and may have incorrect information. To view the current year's program information, click here.

Program Description

Graduates of the Medical Office Specialist program find employment in individual physician’s offices, clinics, outpatient clinics, health insurance companies, laboratories, medical supplies and equipment companies, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and public health departments.

Medical Office Specialists combine medical office skills with computer skills. Necessities for the field are strong ethical values and confidentiality standards. Strong human relations skills are important when dealing with the needs of patients on a daily basis.

Major skills learned in the program include:

• Medical Terminology
• Health Insurance/Coding
• Medical Ethics
• Customer Service
• Medical Billing Software
• Problem Solving
• Applications Software (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Medical Transcription of Medical Documents

High school courses helpful in preparing for the program are Medical Terminology, Anatomy, keyboarding, computer software and English

Statewide Salary Range for Recent Graduates

$24,646 $25,582

Approximate Costs

• $106 per credit (resident)
• $159 per credit (out-of-state resident)
• *Online students are not charged out-of-state fees.

Program Outcomes

• Apply coding manual data to the billing process.
• Apply customer service skills.
• Compose medical correspondence
• Develop a system to triage patients.
• Establish criteria for using medical reference sources.
• Identify body systems and diseases.
• Identify component parts of medical terms.
• Manage records storage and retrieval.
• Perform medical billing.
• Practice confidentiality and ethical standards.
• Prepare insurance claims.
• Research medically specific data.
• Transcribe medical documents.

Career Opportunities

• Medical Office Specialist
• Medical Office Specialist/Specialized Medicine
• Insurance Specialist
• Medical Billing Specialist
• Customer Service Representative
• Medical Receptionist
• Medical Research

Entrance Scores

Admission Process

• Submit the college admission application.
• Submit the $30 one-time fee.
• Submit high school and other official college transcripts.
• Take the college assessment test (Accuplacer, ACT or other). The Accuplacer assessment can be taken at MPTC.
• Meet with Admissions to discuss order of courses and prerequisites (required for this program).
• Health Requirements need to be met and a Criminal Background Check is required.
• Check with Admissions if any additional steps are required.