Medical Receptionist
What the work is
Greets patients and other clients in a health facility such as a clinic, practice, centre or surgery, and responds to personal, telephone and written enquiries and requests.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Greets and welcomes patients and clients
- Schedules appointments for patients and manages the appointment calendar
- Assists with billing and payment processes
- Responds to enquiries and requests from patients and clients in person, over the phone and through written communication
- Registers patients by collecting and verifying personal and insurance information
- Coordinates with health care providers to ensure smooth patient flow
- Maintains patient records and ensures confidentiality of patient information
- Provides information to patients regarding clinic policies, procedures and services
- Handles and resolves patient complaints and concerns
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the reception desk of a busy family medical clinic with five doctors. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A frightened patient settles because you spoke to them kindly at the desk
- You fit in an urgent patient and the doctor thanks you quietly after
- The waiting room is full and everyone is somehow in the right place
Hard days
- The phones, the queue and a patient who needs you all at once
- A patient is angry about a wait that was not your fault
- Being asked for information you are not allowed to share
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 552131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.