Office Administration - Health Services

Program Overview

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Office Administration – Health Services Program Overview

Health offices are increasingly complex, driven by technology and require strong administrators at the helm. As a student in the Office Administration – Health Services program, you will learn medical terminology and have a general understanding of anatomy and physiology. You will understand the procedures required to operate a healthcare office and will be able to transcribe a wide range of health-related data. You will understand the latest hospital information systems and know how to use them. You will learn from professionals who are current in their field and will have the opportunity to enhance your resumé with real-life work experience.

Graduates leave this program ready to take on administrative roles in hospitals, clinics, private practices, and other healthcare environments, contributing to efficient operations and exceptional patient care. With a combination of medical knowledge, technological proficiency, and practical experience, you’ll be prepared to make an immediate impact in the healthcare field.

Intakes and Availability

• September 2025: Open (Domestic and International)
• January 2026: Open (Domestic), Closed (International)

Program Highlights

• Success Stories
• Resources

Admission Requirements

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
• Grade 12 English (C or U)

Are you missing admission requirements? We are here to help.

• Durham College (DC) offers pre-admission assessment testing to mature domestic applicants to meet admission requirements in English and/or math.
• DC also offers Academic Upgrading. Courses are FREE and designed to help you meet the admissions requirements for this program.

Tuition

• Year one domestic: $2,722 (CAD)
• Year one international: $15,309 (CAD)

Semester 1 Courses

• Communication Foundations (COMM 1100)
• Document Production 1 (COMP 1117)
• Keyboarding Fundamentals (COMP 1118)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
• Technology and Office Procedures (INFT 1106)
• Office Professionalism 1 (SOCI 1101)

Career Options

Graduates of the medical office assistant program are prepared for a variety of career opportunities in the healthcare field. With training in medical terminology, electronic medical records systems, and healthcare office procedures, they can manage the daily administrative operations of hospitals, clinics, private practices, and other healthcare environments.

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

• Health/medical assistant
• Healthcare administrator
• Healthcare stenographer
• Healthcare transcriptionist
• Health records clerk
• Patient coordinator
• Unit clerk

Office Administration – Health Services Program Details

The medical office assistant program is designed to prepare students for administrative roles in the fast-paced and evolving healthcare industry. Focusing on specialized office procedures and medical knowledge, this program equips graduates with the tools and expertise to succeed in various healthcare environments, including hospitals, clinics, private practices, and long-term care facilities.

Office Administration – Health Services Program Learning Outcomes

1. Conduct oneself professionally and adhere to relevant legislation, standards and codes of ethics.
2. Manage the scheduling, coordination and organization of administrative tasks and workflow within specific deadlines and according to set priorities.
3. Coordinate the collection, analysis, distribution and response to communications in the workplace to facilitate the flow of information.
4. Operate and provide support to others related to the use of office equipment and technologies.
5. Evaluate, establish and administer health records management systems to ensure confidential, secure, accessible and organized electronic and paper records.
6. Produce financial and client billing records for health services by compiling relevant information and using accounting software.
7. Produce health documents and reports using available technologies and applying industry standards.
8. Use interpersonal and client service skills to respond to the diverse needs of clients, their family members and the health care team.
9. Identify and use non-invasive clinical tasks to support effective and efficient health service operations.

Industry Partners

• ACCREDITATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS
• MICROSOFT CREDENTIALS
• BOARDS OF TRADE AND CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE PARTNERSHIP

Office Administration – Health Services Courses

The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program.

Semester 1

• Communication Foundations (COMM 1100)
• Document Production 1 (COMP 1117)
• Keyboarding Fundamentals (COMP 1118)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
• Technology and Office Procedures (INFT 1106)
• Office Professionalism 1 (SOCI 1101)

Semester 2

• Business Writing Strategies (COMM 2710)
• Document Production 2 (COMP 1221)
• Financial Administration In The Office (FINC 1200)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
• Practical Skills for Employment (SOCI 1203)
• Office Professionalism 2 (SOCI 1204)

Semester 3

• Word Processing and Email (COMP 2109)
• Advanced Spreadsheets and Microsoft Integration (COMP 2111)
• Advanced Keyboarding (COMP 2112)
• Field Placement Preparation (FDPL 2103)
• Medical Science 1 (HLTH 2104)
• Drs. Office Procedures (HLTH 2105)

Semester 4

• Medical Billing (COMP 2212)
• Hospital Info Systems (COMP 2213)
• Medical Transcription (COMP 2214)
• General Education Elective (GNED 0000)
• Medical Science 2 (HLTH 2202)
• Field Placement (OFHS 2200)

Course Delivery

• Online
• Detailed schedules, with course-specific delivery information, will be available after registration.

Costs for the Office Administration – Health Services Program

The fees below are estimates only based on information available at the time of publication, and do not include the cost of textbooks.

Office Administration - Health Services Year 1 Costs

• Semester 1:
  • Tuition: $1,361.02
  • Program Fee: $181.13
  • Ancillary Fee: $493.77
  • DCSA Ancillary Fee: $430
  • Total: $2,465.92
• Semester 2:
  • Tuition: $1,361.02
  • Program Fee: $0
  • Ancillary Fee: $493.77
  • DCSA Ancillary Fee: $120
  • Total: $1,974.79

Office Administration - Health Services Year 2 Costs

• Semester 3:
  • Tuition: $1,361.02
  • Program Fee: $707.38
  • Ancillary Fee: $474.19
  • DCSA Ancillary Fee: $430
  • Total: $2,972.59
• Semester 4:
  • Tuition: $1,361.02
  • Program Fee: $0
  • Ancillary Fee: $474.19
  • DCSA Ancillary Fee: $120
  • Total: $1,955.21

Career Options in Medical Office Administration

The Office Administration – Health Services program opens the door to many career opportunities in the growing healthcare sector. With specialized training in medical terminology, electronic medical records (EMR) systems, medical billing, and health-care procedures, graduates are well-prepared to take on roles such as medical office assistant, health unit clerk, clinic coordinator, medical transcriptionist, or hospital administrative assistant.

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

• Health/medical assistant
• Healthcare administrator
• Healthcare stenographer
• Healthcare transcriptionist
• Health records clerk
• Patient coordinator
• Unit clerk

WHERE YOU COULD WORK:

• Community clinics
• Educational or government institutions
• General health and wellness, alternative medicine or radiology clinics
• Health-care clinics
• Health-care laboratories
• Health-care offices
• Hospitals
• Insurance companies
• Offices of physicians, surgeons, optometrists, chiropractors or other health practitioners
• Pharmaceutical manufacturers and research facilities
• Residential care facilities

Experiential Learning

Field Placement

Your learning experience will be complemented by a workplace field placement component in a healthcare office environment, which will provide you with practical, hands-on experience and the opportunity to apply the theories and concepts learned in the Office Administration – Health Services program classroom.

Pre-Placement Requirements

To be eligible for field placement, some employers may require students to provide (at your expense):

• Entry immunization form completed by a health care provider.
• Criminal Reference Check with Vulnerable Sector Check (no more than 6 months old at the time of placement).
• Current Level C CPR certification from a recognized provider.
• Current standard first aid certification from a recognized provider.
• Mental Health First Aid Training Certificate.

Program Transfer, Degree Completion and Additional Credentials

Durham College also offers degree completion opportunities with several Canadian and international institutions. Sample diploma-to-degree opportunities include:

• Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) bridge – Ontario Tech University (Ontario Tech)
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) – Educational Studies and Digital Technology – Ontario Tech
• Bachelor of Professional Arts in Communication Studies - Athabasca University
• Bachelor of Business Administration – General Business – Davenport University
• Bachelor of Health Services Administration - Davenport University

Tech Requirements for the Office Administration – Health Services Program

Minimum Recommended Hardware

• Laptop: Personal computer (PC). A Mac is not recommended – see notes below*
• Operating System: Windows 10 Professional (64-bit only) and later
• Processor: Intel Core i5 or better
• Memory: 4 GB of RAM (8 GB preferred)
• Hard Drive: 250 GB or larger (Solid State Drive (SSD) preferred)
• 2 USB ports
• Webcam
• Microphone (headset preferred)

*Mac Computers

• Some required software applications are not available for Mac.
• Students who choose a Mac may need to purchase additional software to complete assessments and class exercises at their own cost.

Software Requirements

• Windows 10 Professional (64-bit only)
• Microsoft Office 2019 or 365 (Students will be provided access to Microsoft Office 365 through the College’s Microsoft Office account)
• Chrome
• Internet Explorer/ Edge
• Mozilla Firefox
• Acrobat Reader
• Windows Media Player

Meet Your Faculty Experts

• Jennifer Gibbs
• Jana Forsyth
• Dina Galanis
• Sherry Stanton

Program Outline

Outline:

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Program Content:

• Basic anatomy and physiology
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Medical billing
• Health care ethics
• Health care office and hospital procedures
• Medical terminology and transcription
• Electronic medical record software
• Patient management

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Program Structure:

• Four semesters
• Classes offered in a compressed format on three consecutive days each week
• Field placement component in a health care office environment

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Course Schedule:

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Semester 1

• Communication Foundations
• Document Production 1
• Keyboarding Fundamentals
• General Education Elective
• Technology and Office Procedures
• Office Professionalism 1

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Semester 2

• Business Writing Strategies
• Document Production 2
• Financial Administration In The Office
• General Education Elective
• Practical Skills for Employment
• Office Professionalism 2

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Semester 3

• Word Processing and Email
• Advanced Spreadsheets and Microsoft Integration
• Advanced Keyboarding
• Field Placement Preparation
• Medical Science 1
• Drs.
Office Procedures

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Semester 4

• Medical Billing
• Hospital Info Systems
• Medical Transcription
• General Education Elective

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Teaching:

• Lectures
• Tutorials
• Labs
• Field placements
• Hands-on training

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Careers:

• Health/medical assistant
• Health care administrator
• Health care stenographer
• Health care transcriptionist
• Health records clerk
• Patient co-ordinator
• Unit clerk