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Get the Skills to Become a Medical Office Specialist

Medical Office Specialists perform vital administrative tasks, including patient interactions, medical billing and coding, record management, and healthcare office support.

8 Month* Medical Office Specialist Career Training in San Antonio, TX

Medical Office Specialists often get the benefits of working in both an office setting and medical environment. They are responsible for a variety of essential duties, including scheduling patient appointments, organizing personal records, communicating effectively with patients, and processing medical billing information.

The best way to see if Southwest Schools is the right fit for you is to come and tour the school. You can tour our facilities and meet with students and instructors. Schedule a tour now or Get more info.

Becoming a Qualified Medical Office Specialist

At SWS, we want you to make the most informed decision before you take the next step with us. Our faculty and experienced teaching staff care about your success, so it’s important for us that you understand how our Medical Office Specialist classes will benefit your future!

By attending Medical Office Specialists School at SWS, a student is making a conscious decision to train to be able to handle these responsibilities and others.

Program Mission
To equip the graduate with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform the duties that are required of a medical office specialist in a medical administrative or hospital administrative office.

Program Objective
Students will learn business communication, computer applications, job readiness, keyboarding, medical front office duties, filing insurance claims, CPT and ICD-9 coding, accounts payable and receivable, payroll and reception duties.

Job Opportunities
Graduates may find employment as medical office specialist, office assistant, clerical office position, word processors, administrative assistant and filing insurance claims.

Course Number

Course Name

Clock Hours

Lecture

Lab

Externship

TOTAL

Qtr. Credit Hours

B101

Business Communication For Careers 1

25

.

.

25

2.5

B102

Business Communication For Careers 2

25

.

.

25

2.5

B103

Business Communication For Careers 3

25

.

.

25

2.5

C101

Computer 1

10

40

.

50

3.0

C102

Computer 2

10

40

.

50

3.0

C103

Computer 3

10

40

.

50

3.0

C104

Computer 4

10

40

.

50

3.0

C105

Computer 5

5

20

.

25

1.5

C106

Computer 6

5

20

.

25

1.5

J100

Job Readiness

5

20

.

25

1.5

K101

Keyboarding 1

10

40

.

50

3.0

K102

Keyboarding 2

10

40

.

50

3.0

K103

Keyboarding 3

10

40

.

50

3.0

M200

Externship

.

.

125

125

4.0

M301

Medical Terminology

25

.

.

25

2.5

M302

Medical Office 1

25

.

.

25

2.5

M303

Medical Office 2

25

.

.

25

2.5

O101

Office Procedures 1

20

5

.

25

2.0

O102

Office Procedures 2

20

5

.

25

2.0

O103

Office Procedures 3

20

5

.

25

2.0

P100

Professional Development

25

.

.

25

2.5

TOTAL

.

320

355

125

800

53.0

B101 Business Communication For Careers 1

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn how to use basic grammar and parts of speech.
(Prerequisite: None)

B102 Business Communication For Careers 2

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn sentence structure to write effectively. Emphasis is on punctuation and skills needed for effective business English. (Prerequisite: None)

B103 Business Communication For Careers 3

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn correct usage in written and oral communications for business. (Prerequisite: None)

C101 Computer 1

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn basic use of word processor and spreadsheet applications.
(Prerequisite: None)

C102 Computer 2

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn basic use of database and presentation applications.
(Prerequisite: None)

C103 Computer 3

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn advanced word processor and spreadsheet applications. (Prerequisite: C101)

C104 Computer 4

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn advanced database and presentation applications. (Prerequisite: C102)

C105 Computer 5

25 Clock Hours – 5 Lecture 20 Lab – 1.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn advanced schedule and organizational applications. (Prerequisite: C104)

C106 Computer 6

25 Clock Hours – 5 Lecture 20 Lab – 1.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn computerized medical office software for use in claims generation and financial management. (Prerequisite: None)

J100 Job Readiness

25 Clock Hours – 5 Lecture 20 Lab – 1.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn how to develop possibilities for employment by preparing resumes and interviewing successfully. (Prerequisite: None)

K101 Keyboarding 1

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn how to perform the proper keyboarding and formatting techniques. Students will have a goal for speed and accuracy to reach 29 words per minute. (Prerequisite: None)

K102 Keyboarding 2

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will continue to learn how to perform the proper keyboarding and formatting techniques. Students will have a goal for speed and accuracy to reach 38 words per minute. (Prerequisite: K101)

K103 Keyboarding 3

50 Clock Hours – 10 Lecture 40 Lab – 3.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will continue to learn how to perform the proper keyboarding, formatting, skill building, and ten keys techniques. Students will have a goal for speed and accuracy to reach 45 words per minute. (Prerequisite: K102)

M200 Externship

125 Clock Hours – 125 Ext. – 4.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will perform on-the-job training that utilizes the skills that the student has learned in class in an office setting including, but not limited to, doctor’s offices, clinics, hospitals, or nursing homes. Confidence building, interpersonal relationship, and good patient involvement are stressed. (Prerequisite: Completion of program course requirements)

M301 Medical Terminology

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn terminology commonly used in the medical field, including prefixes, suffixes, word roots, combining forms, and medical abbreviations. (Prerequisite: None)

M302 Medical Office 1

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn how to perform tasks required in a medical office. Students will learn medical ethics and various laws and regulatory agencies. (Prerequisite: None)

M303 Medical Office 2

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn how to use coding systems (CPT – ICD) and prepare medical insurance forms. (Prerequisite: None)

O101 Office Procedures 1

25 Clock Hours – 20 Lecture 5 Lab – 2.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn business office procedures, filing, office machines, processing mail, and ethics. (Prerequisite: None)

O102 Officer Procedures 2

25 Clock Hours – 20 Lecture 5 Lab – 2.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn the telephone systems and procedures for communicating properly, time management and working with others. (Prerequisite: None)

O103 Office Procedures 3

25 Clock Hours – 20 Lecture 5 Lab – 2.0 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn the fundamental business calculations used in today’s workplace, processing and understanding financial information. (Prerequisite: None)

P100 Professional Development

25 Clock Hours – 25 Lecture 2.5 Quarter Credit Hours
Students will learn the basics of personal and office skills necessary for today’s workplace. (Prerequisite: None)

Day Classes:
Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. with a 10-minute break for every 60 minutes of scheduled time and a 30-minute break for lunch from 12:10 to 12:40.

Night Classes:
Monday – Thursday 5:45 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. with a 10-minute break for every 60 minutes of scheduled time.
Weekend Classes:
Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. with a 10-minute break for every 60 minutes of scheduled time and a 30-minute break for lunch from 12:10 to 12:40.

Program Length
Weekdays: 34 Weeks classroom study + 5 Weeks Externship
Night Classes & Weekend Classes: 50 Weeks classroom study + 5 Weeks Externship

Graduation Criteria

The student must complete a total of 800 clock hours (53.0 Quarter Credit Hours) within 150% of the published length of the program, and have satisfactory progress in both academic, as well as, practical training. The student must maintain an average of at least 70% GPA.

If you want to change your life and get started in a rewarding career, I recommend that you come to Southwest Schools. They will make a difference in your life.
Andrea R.

Is a Career as a Medical Office Specialist Right for You? Take the SWS 'Medical Office Specialist Career Training Readiness Quiz'

This fun, online quiz takes 3-minutes to complete and you’ll get a personalized report. Identify your strengths and social style plus the training and positions you’re best suited for. Get Your Career Training Readiness score now.

Job Opportunities

  • Medical Office Specialist
  • Emergency Care Facilities
  • Medical Billing/Collections
  • Medical Receptionist
  • Admitting Clerk
  • Clerical Office Position
  • Doctor’s Office
  • Medical Secretary
  • Home Health Agency
  • Medical Records Clerk
  • Office Assistant
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Healthcare Clinics

How Much Can Medical Office Specialists Make?

The most recent salary information for medical records & health information technicians comes from the 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median annual wage for medical records and health information technicians was $46,660 in May 2021**. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,430, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $74,200**.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Medical Office Specialist At SWS?

At SWS, we know your time is valuable. That’s why we take pride in our ability to provide small class sizes so that students get personal teacher attention. This allows us to help you get through the Medical Office Specialist classes in a timely manner.

  • For Day Classes, the Medical Office Specialist program takes just under 8 Months* to complete.
  • For Night Classes, the Medical Office Specialist program takes just under 12 Months* to complete.
  • For Weekend Classes, the Medical Office Specialist program takes just under 12 Months* to complete.

Is a Rewarding Career as a Medical Office Specialist Right For You? Get More Info…

If you’re interested in learning more about a career as a Medical Office Specialist and exploring whether Southwest Schools is right for you, fill out the form on this page to receive more information.

For immediate questions, call 210-921-0951

*Program length when completed in normal time.
**Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Records Specialists, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm (visited June 12, 2023).