Any medical secretaries here?

[sunshineandstarsgirl]

Do u work for the NHS or in a private practice? How did you become a medical Secretary? Did you do a course? Do you like your job? What did you do prior?

I used to be a medical secretary. I just applied for the roll, had an interview, did a typing test (couldn't spell a lot of medical terms but just typed). Personally I didn't enjoy where worked, a fair few of my colleagues wher bitchy about eachother, so I couldn't believe I was excluded. Also, I was told it was an insult to ask the doctor you worked for, what had been dictated or written if you didn't know (not always easy with different accents).

I was previously a legal secretary, which is what I went back to.

Used to do it. Got a temp job because I had dealt with medical insurance claims (and therefore terminology) before, then just carried on until I'd had enough.

Not a fan of the manager-employee dynamic in the NHS - the general attitude was that it was a dead end job with no scope for progression as the managers would block any attempts to train or get additional experience outside the very basic 'type letters and answer the phone' you were paid to do.

i did the AMSPAR diploma
my job used to be great,
skills being lost though

I did AMSPAR too and worked for a private hospital which was lovely but three years ago moved to NHS, enjoy the work and my boss is great, other secretaries are a bunch of bitches though…i do my job and go home but it aint fun

I’m finding a lot of bitching goes on in general practice both behind colleagues and patients backs. It’s awful and I want away from it

I worked as a medical secretary for 15 years and loved it for the most part although inevitably there are some sad situations that you get to hear about. The dept I worked in dealt with cancer along with an array of other severe or life-limiting conditions. But what makes it all worthwhile is feeling you are doing your bit to help make a patient’s journey move along in a caring and supportive way. My favourite part was the patient contact as you are the often the first point of contact between them and a medical professional. I did a Pitman’s medical secretary course whilst I was working which helped with terminology but that does come anyway once you’re in the job. The main skills are fast accurate typing, attention to detail, a willingness to learn quickly, patience, a caring nature and ability to be proactive. There is often lots of responsibility. Unlike others who have commented, I worked with a fantastic team in a department that felt like family to me. We supported each other and were all committed to making a patient’s pathway as efficient and caring as possible.Best way is to register with NHS Jobs online and write a good honest and succinct ‘supporting information’ on the application form. When I was recruiting as a lead medical secretary I found this the most useful piece of information to get a feel for the applicant. Good luck !