The main focus of a General Practice is to provide healthcare to individuals and families in local communities. A General Practice opens its doors at about 8am and closes at around 6pm, although some emergency practices may operate outside of these traditional opening hours.
Within a general practice, there are multiple job positions and roles including:
- General practitioners (GPs) who treat all common medical conditions and refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatment. They focus on the health of the whole person combining physical, psychological and social aspects of care.
- Nurse practitioners assist GPs by undertaking a number of general practice processes, and,
- Administration and reception staff who act as the point of contact between the patients (public) and doctors or other healthcare professionals.
The work of a medical receptionist is often overlooked but in reality, their work is truly invaluable. A receptionist maintains a systematic order in what sometimes can be a completely chaotic environment.
Health Industry Training are proud to offer three courses to those thinking of working as a medical receptionist, or those currently filling an admin or receptionist role at a medical or general practice:
- Certificate IV in Medical Practice Assisting
- Certificate IV in Health Administration
- Diploma of Practice Management
Although there are no specific requirements to become a medical receptionist, some more complex medical environments may require you to undergo some intensive training prior to starting the job, or on the job training.
Providing training and further education to current staff has been proven to deliver a multitude of benefits for businesses.
In this blog, we outline the benefits that come as a result of up-skilling your practice receptionists and other admin staff. These include:
Enhanced employee capability
When a staff member receives extra training, they will be more confident in conducting their daily tasks and be more agile in the workplace. Employees will grasp at the opportunity to expand their expertise and sharpen their skills so that they stay up-to-date in their chosen field which will allow them to consistently thrive and grow within the practice.
Higher Productivity
Having a team of skilled and educated employees will increase the overall efficiency and productivity of the practice. Employees who are given the opportunity to further their learning and better understand their job role will work more efficiently, feel more invested in the success of the practice and ensure that it’s running like a well-oiled machine.
Increased customer satisfaction
Happier, more engaged staff will lead to a better delivery of customer service. Employees who receive training will be in a better position to respond to customers’ questions or concerns on behalf of other practice professionals.
Greater competitive advantage for Practice
Whatever the industry, skilled and well educated employees are key to business longevity. In a practice, employees who are up-to-date with the latest technologies, processes and compliance and legal frameworks will translate to a greater competitive advantage.
Ability to relieve GPs of basic administration tasks
Administration personnel with proper training will have the ability to relieve GPs and NPs from conducting more administrative tasks such as stock and supply management, appointment reports and script handling. In addition, the more skills and training they obtain, the more roles they can undertake to relieve more time conscious members of the practice.
Provide GP with more time to treat patients
With trained start confidently handling administrative work, GPs will have more time to attend to patients, and may be able to increase the amount of patients they see daily.
We hope that this blog post has given you a greater understanding of the benefits of upskilling your internal practice staff. Many underestimate the value that further education and development brings to not only an individual, but the business as a whole. By selecting an RTO such as Health Industry Training, you’ll reduce your learning and development outlays and have access to government funding schemes.
To learn more about how training can benefit you or your practice, please contact us via our online contact form, or call 1300 381 415.