Online unit secretary courses can provide the
didactic portion of a health unit coordinator's education that can lead
to a unit secretary or medical administration certificate or associate
degree. Coupled with clinical experience, these courses can prepare unit
secretaries for voluntary certification exams and employment in the
medical field.
Overview of Online Unit Secretary Courses
A few schools offer some or all coursework in a health unit
coordination certificate or degree program online. Course topics include
basic anatomy, physiology, medical administration, transcription,
ethics and terminology. Unit secretaries perform non-medical, clinical
duties, such as preparing medical records, inputting patient data,
transcribing medical notes and billing patients' insurance. Some
programs with online coursework might also include a practical
experience component of the curricula.
Course Requirements
To participate in these courses, regular access to a computer with a
high-speed Internet connection is required. A sound card with speakers
and microphone might be needed for synchronous, instructor-led learning.
Students also need an e-mail address, and programs typically require an
updated Web browser. Software applications, such as anti-virus, Adobe
Acrobat Reader and word processing programs, might also be required.
List of Online Unit Secretary Courses
Medical Administration Course
This course discusses the clerical skills required of a medical unit
secretary. These include processing hospital admissions, scheduling
appointments and medical accounting procedures, such as coding medical
records and billing insurance carriers. Topics in securely storing
patient records, assembling medical files and processing charts are also
covered.
Medical Terminology Course
Students learn terminology pertaining to the health care field as
they focus on the vocabulary associated with medicine, human systems,
processes, anatomy and pathology. Students explore how roots, prefixes
and suffixes come together to form these words, and breaking down words
into their component parts can help determine meaning.
Medical Transcription Course
This course covers basic terminology, spelling, grammar,
communication and memory skills related to transcription in the medical
field. Students learn how to use a Dictaphone and acquire computer
keyboarding skills to transcribe voice-recorded reports dictated by
health care professionals into a text format.
Patient Care and Interpersonal Communications Course
This course prepares students to deal with patients and families in
the medical setting when greeting patients, scheduling appointments and
gathering medical information. Topics include an overview of
professional communication when dealing with sensitive information,
treating patients with dignity and respect and ensuring confidentiality.
Anatomy and Physiology Course
Students are exposed to the fundamental concepts of anatomy and
physiology, including the basics of individual organs, anatomical
systems, body functions and structures. Overviews of the effects of
aging and major diseases are also provided.
Online Training for Unit Secretaries
Organizations, such as We Care Online and the National Association of
Health Unit Coordinators (NAHUC), offer online training programs in
instructor-led, synchronous formats or through self-paced study guides.
The NAHUC provides those interested in certification an online or
mail-in order form for a number of educational programs available in
audio or video formats that can prepare for certification exams. We Care
Online offers links to fully online training programs, as well as a
database of programs offered by state.
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