Medical Office Administration

Overview

Working in a medical environment, including hospital departments and doctors' offices, you're a vital part of the health care team. You help provide compassionate and professional service to patients, visitors and health care providers.

This program gives you a solid foundation in computer technology, medical terminology, professional ethics, confidentiality and standard office practices, such as billing, preparing medical correspondence, registering and scheduling patients, and managing health records.

Work experience

• Field experience is a mandatory credit course, providing the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills outside the classroom.
  • Opportunities are typically unpaid and last approximately 5 weeks.
• Transportation, accommodations and other costs related to work experience courses are your responsibility.
• For more information, visit work experience opportunities.

• Some work experience locations have additional immunization requirements. These immunizations are for your protection as well as the clients you will be serving. For more information, visit immunization FAQ.
  • Immunizations are accessible through your healthcare provider. All Nova Scotia Health (NSH) work experience placements require the following immunizations:
    • COVID-19
    • Measles, mumps, rubella
    • Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis
    • Varicella
• International students - all international students require a co-op work permit; you can't complete your NSCC program without one. This program also requires a medical exam to receive your co-op work permit. View co-op work permit - medical exam details.

Choose NSCC

• We work closely with the medical community to ensure our programs provide our graduates with skills that are relevant and in demand.
• Learn from instructors who bring industry experience to the classroom and share their knowledge in a supportive environment.

Other info

• Through NSCC's Recognizing Prior Learning (RPL) process, you may be able to earn credits for your past work experience, education and volunteer activities. Check with your campus for more details.

September 2025

Campus	Full time/part time	Delivery	Availability
Institute of Technology Campus Halifax	Full time	In person Delivered in-person. Some courses may have online elements.	Seats available
Kingstec Campus Kentville	Full time	In person Delivered in-person. Some courses may have online elements.	Seats available
Lunenburg Campus Bridgewater	Full time	In person Delivered in-person. Some courses may have online elements.	Seats available
Sydney Waterfront Campus Sydney	Full time	In person Delivered in-person. Some courses may have online elements.	Seats available
Truro Campus Truro	Full time	In person Delivered in-person. Some courses may have online elements.	Seats available

Admission requirements

• High School Graduation Diploma or equivalent.
  • International students – High school diploma equivalency and English language requirements vary by country. View document and language requirements by country

Program requirements

• During this program you will complete Nonviolent Crisis Intervention and Standard First Aid, CPR Level C.
• Portfolio development – As part of your studies at NSCC, you develop a portfolio of your work; the portfolio captures your achievements and profiles your skills to employers.

Tuition

Tuition amounts are for the 2024-25 academic year. Program costs and fees (textbooks, supplies, etc.) are additional.

Tuition, fees and program costs

This program is not offered at regular NSCC tuition.

In addition to annual tuition, there are program costs (books, tools, etc.) and student fees for College services, health and dental plans, your student association and parking.

View detailed program fees page(s). Please note that amounts on these pages are meant for planning purposes only. They don't represent final amounts owing.

• Medical Office Administration

Career options

• Graduates are qualified to accept positions in many medical settings, including hospital departments (laboratory, health records, diagnostic imaging, etc.), doctors' offices, health boards, insurance companies and government departments.
• Employment opportunities exist in allied health care facilities, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy, mental health and counselling services.
• Community clinics, public health centres, the Victorian Order of Nurses, dental and optometry practices, and long-term care facilities also employ graduates of this program.

Courses may include

These are some of the courses offered in this program. It is not a complete list and courses are subject to change in advance of the academic year.

Recognizing prior learning / transfer credits
If you have previous learning (course, employment, etc...) that's relevant to your program, you may be able to apply to earn credit. Not all programs are eligible. Learn about our recognizing prior learning (RPL) process.

COMM 1205 - Communications - Workplace Foundations
Effective communication is fundamental to career success. This course will apply the communication cycle to improve the impact of written messages, presentations, and interpersonal interactions.

COMM 2215 - Communications - Workplace Applications
This course explores the detailed and specialized messages that are part of the current workplace. The course will give students the opportunity to research, format, and write targeted messages such as reports and letters. The course also prepares students for the job search.

COMP 1115 - Document Processing I - Medical Office
This course will introduce learners to the principles of keyboarding and document processing. Practical applications will include medical forms and reports.

COMP 2110 - Spreadsheets I
This course introduces the student to electronic spreadsheets including their design and creation. Formulae and functions will be used to perform calculations on the spreadsheet data providing business solutions. Students will apply formatting skills to enhance the appearance and clarity of printed spreadsheets as well as using graphs to represent spreadsheet data. This course is accepted toward certification with the Canadian Institute of Bookkeeping (CIB).

COMP 2215 - Document Processing II - Medical Office
This course will build upon the skills and techniques acquired in the Document Processing I course through the use of word processing to produce a variety of high-quality business documents. Practical applications will include medical forms and reports.

MGMT 1010 - Organizational Behaviour
This course gives students a fundamental understanding of the factors that influence effective interactions within an organization. Individual traits, team dynamics, and organizational culture will all be examined as factors contributing to workplace success and sustainability. Topics such as perception, diversity, motivation, ethics, conflict resolution, and change will be examined to help students become better equipped to interact with others in an organization and to find career satisfaction.

MOAS 1018 - Medical Office Procedures
This course will provide learners with the skills and knowledge needed to meet the challenging demands of today's medical environment including the importance of professional ethics and confidentiality, the operation of an efficient medical office, filing and file management, preparation of financial information, and working with patients, visitors, and other health care professionals. Learners will learn the latest systems and procedures enabling them to work effectively and efficiently in a medical environment.

MOAS 2009 - Electronic Medical Office Systems
This course is designed to provide practical experience in entering and managing patient and physician information, and electronic records using current electronic medical office systems. Learners will learn the skills required for creating and filing patient electronic records, creating appointment lists and other documents, billing claims, dealing with reconciliations and adjudications, reviewing and printing statement files, and downloading updated files.

MOAS 2018 - Medical Office Transcription
Through the use of classroom, lectures, and practical assignments, learners will be provided with the opportunity to prepare medical documents through the use of transcription. Learners will be exposed to various reports and formats used in preparing medical-related documents. As well, the importance of legality, confidentiality, and accuracy will be emphasized. This course builds on the previously obtained keyboarding skills, application of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and grammar.

MOAS 2020 - Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terminology I
This course introduces the learner to the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology associated with the integumentary, digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, blood forming, lymphatic and nervous systems. Related pathology and diagnostic testing of each system will also be covered. Emphasis will be on the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of medical terms while introducing learners to relevant Greek and Latin derivatives. As well, the structural organization of the human body will be identified, along with an introduction to pharmacology.

MOAS 2995 - Work Experience
The Work Experience course provides learners with the opportunity to apply the skills developed within the Medical Office Administration program. Learners gain valuable experience and may receive employer references through the completion of this course. This is a course of 175 hours spread over five weeks. Learners will also benefit from a feedback session to take place at the end of the five-week period.

MOAS 3020 - Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terminology II
This course is a continuation of “Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terminology I”, increasing the learners’ working knowledge of the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. The emphasis continues to be on the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of medical terms. This course concentrates on the special senses, muscular, skeletal, endocrine, urinary, female and male reproductive systems, including sexually transmitted infections, as well as mental health. The pathology, diagnostic testing, and pharmacology of each system will also be discussed.

SAFE 1000 - Introduction to WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems)
This course offers learners basic overview of WHMIS principles and establishes a solid foundation to support workplace-specific training on the safe storage and handling of controlled/hazardous products. Upon successful completion of the course, students receive basic WHMIS certification.

SAFE 1001 - Introduction to NS OH&S Act
This course offers students an introduction to the Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Act of Nova Scotia, which is required by any person employed in a Nova Scotia workplace. This is a generic, introductory course that provides basic knowledge of the Act for students and is considered to be the basis from which more specific training can be given.