Medical Office Administration

Overview

Medical office administrators use specialized skills across a range of health care environments (like hospital departments and doctors’ offices) to make medical office operations run more smoothly. They’re a vital part of any health care team. 

Working on the front line of health care, you apply specialized skills on the job, like managing medical records, coordinating patient and paper flow, providing and facilitating clear and confidential communication, as well as offering compassionate and professional service to patients, visitors and health care providers.

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

The skills you develop using software platforms in this program are transferrable; this means that although different platforms may be used throughout Nova Scotia health management zones, your software skills are relevant province-wide.

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.
• Hospitals and some clinic experience locations may have additional requirements such as a Criminal Record Check, Vulnerable Sector Search and immunizations. 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) and IWK Hospital work experience placements require the following immunizations:
    • Measles, mumps, rubella
    • Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis
    • Varicella
  • NSCC uses Placement Pass to collect immunization records. Placement Pass is a secure online portal administered by ParaMed. ParaMed is a NSCC partner organization that is authorized to review and verify records for confirmation of placement clearance. If applicable, prior to your placement, you will be required to upload copies of all supporting documentation to Placement Pass.
    • View the NSCC Student Information Placement Pass (PDF 692KB) presentations for more details, including how to access the Pre-Placement Health Form (692KB)
    • View sample Pre-Placement Health Form (PDF 390KB)
• 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

• We work closely with the medical community to ensure our programs provide our graduates with skills that are relevant and in demand.
• 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 2026

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.	Waitlist
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

• You're required to complete Standard First Aid, CPR Level C before work experience and graduation.
• 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 2025-26 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

About the profession

• Medical office administration professionals work in a range of health care environments, facilitating communication between patients, healthcare professionals, insurance companies and more. 
• The work they do allows physicians and nurses to be able to focus on patient care, making them an integral part of any health care team. 
• This role often includes completing administrative tasks in a health care environment, like scheduling appointments, maintaining paper and electronic medical records systems, updating databases, answering phones, greeting patients and answering questions, and managing office supplies and medical resources.
• Medical office administrators have the specialized skills to understand medical and anatomical terminology and provide transcription services using medical transcription software.

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 and ancillary clinics such as chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy, speech therapy, audiology services, 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.
• Specialized training opens career opportunities with insurance companies, long-term care facilities, and in health record data management and development of innovations in healthcare.