If you’re a high school graduate interested in a career in healthcare, there are many non-clinical healthcare jobs available—most of which do not require a degree. In this guide, you’ll learn about some of the more popular non-clinical healthcare jobs today where no medical degree is required.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare jobs are expected to grow 16% from 2020 to 2030, with 2.6 million new jobs added. That’s faster-than-average growth and most of these jobs pay very well.
Are you thinking about a healthcare career but don’t have a medical degree? Good news—there are lots of non-clinical healthcare jobs available, including call center representatives, medical receptionists, and insurance verification specialists. Any one of these positions can be richly rewarding, and you don’t need a degree for any of them.
What Is A Non-Clinical Healthcare Worker?
Healthcare employs more than just doctors and nurses. There are plenty of non-clinical positions available that don’t require a medical degree yet still let you care for people in need.
A non-clinical healthcare worker is someone who works in the healthcare system but doesn’t directly diagnose, treat, or test those patients. This includes receptionists, office workers, technology experts, as well as people who coordinate care efforts and manage administrative tasks.
What Jobs In The Medical Field Do Not Require A Degree?
There are many non-clinical jobs available in the medical field that don’t require a degree. Some of the most popular include:
- Medical call representative
- Medical receptionist
- Insurance validation specialist
We’ll look at each of these in more detail.
Medical Call Center Representative
One of the top non-clinical healthcare jobs is that of medical call center representative. A call center representative in the healthcare field does a lot of different things, including:
- Handling incoming telephone calls from patients
- Answering general patient questions
- Making appointments
- Obtaining medical and insurance information from patients
Much of a call center representative’s work is done at the computer with scheduling applications and patient databases. They spend a lot of time each day talking to patients, some of whom are frustrated or in distress, so a welcoming personality is important.
What Are the Qualifications for Call Center Representatives?
The typical requirements for a medical call center representative aren’t oppressive. Most require that applicants have:
- A high school diploma or GED
- Some relevant experience or training in a receptionist or customer service role
- Ability to operate a multi-line phone system
- Computer proficiency
What Are the Most Important Skills for a Call Center Representative?
If you’re applying for a medical call center representative position, it helps if you have some or all of the following skills:
- Organizational skills. A rep needs to be able to handle multiple issues at the same time. They also need to be able to triage a barrage of information and pass along the most important information to the medical office or physician.
- Attention to detail. All information must be accurately entered into the computer system. Mistakes need to be rare.
- Communication skills. A rep needs to be able to clearly and effectively communicate not just with patients but also with other office staff, medical staff, nurses, and physicians. That includes being a good listener.
- Strong interpersonal skills. Reps have to engage with patients who may be scared, confused, or in pain. Being able to interact with—and, in some instances, calm down—those callers is essential.
- A pleasant personality and telephone voice. Call center reps need to be and sound pleasant. No one wants to talk to a rude person when they call!
- Ability to quickly adapt to changing situations. No two calls are the same. Reps need to be able to calmly and coolly adapt to each caller’s situation and needs—and to put out any fires that erupt.
- Problem-solving abilities. It’s often difficult to ascertain what a caller’s specific problem is. A rep needs to be able to sort through everything a patient is saying to get to the root of the issue—and, if possible, solve their problems without involving additional staff.
- Empathy with the patients. Many callers are unfamiliar with a facility’s procedures and need to be walked through any given process. Many are frustrated or fearful or have been experiencing painful or stressful medical issues. A rep needs to emphasize with each patient and make them feel as if they’re important and they’re going to be okay.
- Patience—and the ability to stay calm in stressful situations. Dealing with frustrated and often angry callers can be stressful. Reps must have the patience to deal with cranky callers and stay calm to keep stress-filled situations from escalating.
If you have some or all of these traits, you may be a good candidate for a medical call center representative.
What is the Typical Medical Call Center Representative Salary?
Most call center representative jobs are hourly positions. According to Payscale, the average base salary for a call center representative is $37,523 per year, with pay somewhat higher from healthcare employers.
Medical Receptionist
Another popular non-clinical healthcare career is that of a medical receptionist. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than a million medical receptionists in the United States.
Like a call center representative, a medical receptionist deals directly with patients—but in-person, not over the phone. Medical receptionists are front desk workers responsible for checking in patients, scheduling appointments, and similar duties.
What Are the Qualifications for a Medical Receptionist?
Employers look for a standard set of medical receptionist skills and qualifications, including:
- A high school diploma or GED
- Experience in or training for a receptionist or administrative role
- Computer proficiency
- Working knowledge of medical terminology
- Strong organizational, administrative, and planning skills
Like call center reps, medical receptionists should be personable, have good interpersonal and communication skills, and show empathy for the patients. Medical receptionists need to be able to think on their feet, problem-solve, handle stressful situations, and triage intake so that the most urgent patients receive priority treatment.
What Are the Job Duties of a Medical Receptionist?
The medical receptionist is the first person that patients see when they enter a doctor’s office or clinic. Essential responsibilities of the job include:
- Greet patients and other visitors
- Answer patient questions and provide necessary assistance
- Provide forms and other paperwork for patients to complete
- Collect patient co-pays
- Interact with and assist physicians and nurses as necessary
- Answer phone calls
- Respond to emails
- Schedule appointments
- Act as liaison between different departments, facilities, and physicians
- Manage inventory of office supplies
All of these duties must be performed in a professional manner, and with the utmost confidentiality. A medical receptionist, like all clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers, must adhere to HIPAA and other governmental and industry standards for patient privacy.
How Much Do Medical Receptionists Make?
Medical receptionists are essential to smoothly running all types of healthcare facilities, including doctors’ offices, clinics, nursing homes, therapy centers, and hospitals. Most receptionists work regular daytime hours, although some facilities offer extended or weekend hours.
The medical front office and billing salary levels vary according to experience, location, and actual duties.
Most medical receptionist jobs are hourly positions. According to Payscale, the average medical receptionist annual salary is $34,518 per year.
Insurance Verification Specialist
Not all non-clinical healthcare jobs directly interact with patients. Insurance verification specialists, for example, work behind the scenes to ensure that patient services are covered by, submitted to, and paid by health insurance companies.
What is Insurance Verification?
Insurance verification is an essential part of our current healthcare system, where the majority of healthcare costs are paid by patients’ insurance companies. Before a patient is ingested into the system, the admitting facility has to verify that the patient has insurance and that the insurance covers the services provided to the patient.
There are several steps to the insurance verification process, as follows:
- Before the patient’s appointment, the facility needs to receive that person’s insurance information. This is often done when the appointment is made, although it can also be done at the time of the visit.
- The patient’s insurance information is entered into the provider’s system.
- Details about the patient’s claim are cross-referenced to verify that the patient is eligible to make the claim. This is typically done before the visit.
- The insurance company then needs to authorize coverage of the services provided to the patient. This is often done after the visit, although it may be required pre-visit for some less common or expensive procedures.
- If there are any issues with the insurance claim, the provider must notify the patient and, typically, bill the patient for any non-covered or non-authorized services.
- The provider’s billing system is now updated with the final charges due so the patient can be properly invoiced.
- The provider sends a claim submission request to the insurance provider, who then pays the provider the amount due.
This process can be handled in full by an insurance verification specialist, or the specialist may handle only the verification steps and hand off other duties to the appropriate internal parties.
How to Become an Insurance Verification Specialist
To become an insurance verification specialist, you need a high school diploma or GED, some experience in medical billing, and good phone communication skills. Some larger employers may require an associate’s degree in medical administration or a related healthcare field. Obtaining a non-clinical healthcare certification in billing or HIPAA can give candidates a leg up and provide a higher starting wage.
What Does an Insurance Verification Specialist Do?
In essence, an insurance verification specialist checks the status of patients’ medical insurance. The specialist is responsible for verifying that a patient’s insurance covers the required medical services. To do this, the specialist must:
- Take new patients’ insurance information
- Update the insurance information for existing patients
- Contact insurance companies to pre-authorize certain services and procedures
- Explain to patients what is covered by insurance and what they will be responsible for
- Inform both patients and medical staff of any denied services or procedures
- Answer patients’ questions about their insurance
How Much Does an Insurance Verification Specialist Earn?
Most insurance verification specialist jobs are hourly positions. According to Payscale, the average base salary for an insurance verification specialist is $40,043 per year.
Ready for a Career in Non-Clinical Healthcare?
You don’t need a medical degree to have a career in the healthcare field. There are many high-paying non-clinical healthcare jobs that don’t require a degree, including medical call center representative, medical receptionist, and insurance verification specialist.
If you are interested in a healthcare career and don’t have a medical degree, turn to the employment experts at Quadrant. Our experienced professionals will help you find the best position for your unique skill set and begin an exciting career in healthcare. Click here to search for new healthcare opportunities.
Contact Quadrant today to learn more about non-clinical healthcare jobs.