Medical Secretarial Courses

If you wish to become a medical secretary - you will need to have both good secretarial skills as well as sound knowledge in medical terminology.

These courses are suitable if you have no prior knowledge in either secretarial skills or medical terminology, as well as for those who are already an experienced secretary, but who now wishes to develop their knowledge and skills further.

Medical Secretarial/Administration Courses (full course)

This course will provide you with advanced skills in secretarial subjects, specialising in medical work.

It is designed to enable you to apply for either general medical secretarial positions or consultancy secretarial roles, depending on your prior experience, and whether you study for the Level 2 Medical Terminology or the Level 3 Medical Terminology.

The course is in 2 parts:

PART 1

You would be studying to gain the following Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Text Processing, awarded by the OCR (RSA) Exam Board:

Covering:

• Speed Keying
• Text Production
• Medical Word Processing
• Medical Audio Transcription
• Document Presentation

You will also be taught keyboarding and speed development ie touch typing.

PART 2

This part of the course covers the Medical Terminology and you can choose to study either the Level 2 Medical Terminology or the Level 3 Medical Terminology.

Level 2 is suitable for those with little or no prior medical knowledge and who have not worked in the medical profession before.

It consists of 20 modules which cover different parts of the body and body systems and will give you a good broad basic knowledge of medical terms in order to have a better understanding of the words seen and used every day. It is based around learning the meaning of basic medical terms and some common disorders, diseases, investigative procedures and treatments. The course does not require prior medical knowledge but does require the ability to study and tackle short answer questions.

Level 3 is suitable for those who have been working in the medical profession and who wish to develop their existing medical terminology and are considering working at consultancy level. 

You will study:

• Origins and structure of medical terms
• Terminology of body structures, systems, diseases and conditions
• Terminology of surgical and medical procedures, investigations and treatments
• Classification of drugs and prescription abbreviations
• Titles, professional qualifications and specialities and abbreviations in common use

Either course would be suitable to enable you to sit the AMSPAR C&G Medical Terminology exam - either Level 2 or Level 3.

Medicial Terminology Only

If you already have secretarial qualifications, and only wish to study medical terminology, then you can study this as a standalone course.

Medical Terminology Level 2

This course would cover the medical terminology to enable an experienced secretary to specialise in medical secretarial work and be able to apply for medical secretarial positions. Please see above for more details.

Medical Terminology Level 3

The course would cover medical terminology and is suitable for those already working in a medical secretarial role and who now wishes to enhance their knowledge to an advanced standard. Please see above for more details.

Teaching

As part of all our courses we give our students guidance in how to learn effectively to instil confidence in studying for a qualification and enjoy the challenge of learning again after perhaps a long break since school or college.

Students are taught by an experienced lecturer using email to send and receive work. Comprehensive teaching material is provided, as well as exercises and self-assessment tests. Students will be given individual feedback, guidance and preparation for examinations, where necessary.

You can study this course by distance learning, which means you can study at home or work and complete your lessons at times to suit yourself to fit in around other commitments.

You will be able to return your completed work to your course tutor via email, who will then mark this and provide feedback and additional tutoring if required.

Gradually you will build your knowledge and skills and work your way through your course, preparing for exams which you will sit at various stages throughout the course.

We are very keen to develop your confidence as you progress through the course, and it is important that we develop a close working relationship with you to ensure the course is both enjoyable and effective.

All courseware provided is written and designed specifically for our courses and is the copyright of Lewis College.

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Recommended Books

Medical Terminology & Clinical Procedures by Mary Bird available from Magister Distribution (Tel. 01322 386958) or from the Amazon website.

It is also useful to have a medical or nurses’ dictionary and have access to a copy of an anatomy and physiology book and a drug information book but you don’t need these before you start the course as we supply reference notes along the way.

Course Fees - £850 plus VAT - with Level 2 MT

You have up to 12 months to complete this course (excluding holidays)

Course Fees - £1,150 plus VAT - with Level 3 MT

You have up to 18 months to complete this course (excluding holidays)

Course Fees - £450 plus VAT Level 2 Medical Terminology only

You have up to 9 months to complete this course (excluding holidays)

Course Fees - £650 plus VAT Level 3 Medical Terminology only

You have up to 12 months to complete this course (excluding holidays)

Fees can be paid in full to benefit from a 10% discount.

Instalment options are also available - interest free - for either individuals or Employers paying for courses.  An individual payment plan can be set up to suit specific budgets.

Course fees can often be modified/reduced to reflect existing skills and knowledge - please telephone Penny Lewis at the College to discuss possible options - 01803 299955.

Start Dates

Autumn Term start dates:

• 31 August which is 50% full
• 21 September - 55% full

Careers and Job Support

This section of the course is for those of you who would find it beneficial to have some guidance and support in developing a professional CV as well as developing interview techniques, either at the end of the course or part way through.

You will prepare a draft CV to include the qualifications gained on this course and submit this to our careers adviser who can provide help and guidance in developing this to a professional standard, ensuring it is suitable for the types of jobs and businesses you wish to work in.

You will also prepare draft answers to standard interviews, enabling you to prepare a “script” in readiness for any interviews, and again submit this to our careers adviser who can see how you are portraying yourself at the interview stage.

Additional support can also be provided in connection with individual job applications and career plans.

Equipment you will need for this course

You will need to be able to access the Internet – either at home or work to receive your lessons via email.

You will also need a computer – a tower or laptop, plus a printer to enable you to print off the courseware (if preferred) and practice papers.

You will need either Word 2003 or Word 2007.