For some people gatecrashing a gathering of the local pitbull society with a cat under each arm would be less of an ordeal than trying to get a doctor’s appointment.
In many surgeries the process of busy phone lines and interrogation-style questioning is frustrating enough to send blood pressures sky high.
At the centre of it all, however, sits a calm amid the storm: the medical secretary, aka the bouncer of the surgery.
With a rising number of demands on a doctor’s time and a limited number of appointment slots, they have the unenviable task of weeding out non-urgent cases, whingers and the internet medical ‘experts’.
Without their telephone triaging the doctor would never get home each night.
It’s no wonder they have to be firm and stern when faced with the daily barrage of worried, cross or frustrated patients.
It’s this ability to deal sympathetically yet methodically with a frantic new mum or a confused pensioner that make good medical secretaries worth their weight in gold. Exclaiming loudly to the waiting room you saw that very problem on TV’s Embarrassing Bodies isn’t likely to be helpful.
The truth is, whether they work for GPs’ surgeries, hospital consultants, senior health managers, university research departments, pharmaceutical companies or medical schools, most must master the art of dealing tactfully with the public.
And this means medical secretaries do much more than answer phones and type names into a computer.
Not only are they key to the smooth administration of the practice, they have emotional input.
Many have relationships with regular patients. They might know, for instance, Granny Ina isn’t one to make a fuss – so when she asks for a home visit, she really needs one.
Or Great Uncle Shug almost faints at the sight of a needle and so a cup of tea and a biscuit is handy whenever he has blood taken.
A good medical secretary also goes the extra mile for patients, phoning back with available appointments or getting prescriptions signed off.
Those working in a hospital setting might find themselves organising a consultant’s diary, managing waiting lists, updating patient records, sending samples for medical testing and typing patient letters and clinical reports. The job demands excellent organisational skills, an understanding of medical jargon and being good with computer filing systems.
For anyone wanting to work within a medical setting without getting too close to the business end, being a medical secretary offers a great balance.
Just be prepared to go to bouncer school first.
If you have what it takes, have a look at the current Medical roles on s1jobs