Medical Office Assistant & Unit Clerk Certificate

The Medical Office Assistant & Unit Clerk Certificate prepares you for administrative roles in clinics, hospitals and healthcare offices across Canada.

You will learn medical terminology, the Canadian healthcare system, privacy regulations (PIPEDA), electronic health records with SimChart, and medical billing & coding (ICD-10-CA / CCI) — then apply it all in a 100-hour supervised practicum.

Medical office assistants and unit clerks work in family-medicine and walk-in clinics, primary care networks, specialist offices, hospitals and continuing-care facilities, dental and diagnostic-imaging clinics, and physiotherapy and rehabilitation practices across Alberta.

What the work is usually like day to day. It varies by employer, so ask about it in interviews.

• Hours. Clinic roles are mostly weekday daytime, with some evenings or Saturdays at walk-in clinics. Hospital unit clerks usually work shifts, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.
• Getting started. Many people start in casual or part-time positions and move into permanent ones.
• The work itself. Long periods at a computer and on the phone, frequent interruptions, and patients or families who may be worried or unwell.
• Confidentiality. You handle health information every day, protected by Alberta’s Health Information Act.

With experience, medical office assistants and unit clerks often take on senior clerk, office lead or clinic coordinator roles, or specialise in medical billing, health records or scheduling. Some use the role as a first step into other healthcare careers while they continue studying.

Coursework is online and self-paced. The program includes a supervised practicum of about 100 hours, so you finish with real healthcare-office experience; placement arrangements are confirmed when you enrol and depend on availability.

Most of this medical office assistant program is online coursework you complete at your own pace: 11 courses covering medical terminology, the Canadian healthcare system, electronic health records with SimChart EHR, medical office procedures and privacy, medical billing and coding (ICD-10-CA / CCI), communication in healthcare settings, anatomy and physiology, medical law and ethics, medical transcription and the fundamentals of unit clerk operations. It finishes with a 100-hour supervised practicum in a healthcare workplace, where you use those skills in a real setting. See how practicums work.

It suits career changers, people returning to work, newcomers to Canada and anyone who wants an administrative role in healthcare without clinical training.

What to compare between medical office assistant courses

• Is the program licensed in Alberta? Here is how to check a college’s licence.
• How many instructional hours, and what are the courses?
• Is a supervised practicum included, and how are placements arranged?
• Will you practise on electronic health records software?
• What is the total cost, including registration, books and software?

For pay and outlook, see the Job Bank figures above. Job Bank rates the outlook for medical administrative assistants (NOC 13112) in Alberta as Good for 2025–2027. More in How to Become a Medical Office Assistant in Alberta and Medical Office Assistant vs Unit Clerk.

• A computer, webcam and headset that meet the technology requirements, and reliable high-speed internet.
• Textbooks, e-books and software. Your enrolment contract will list exactly what is included in tuition and what is not.
• Practicum requirements. Healthcare hosts commonly ask for a recent police information check and proof of immunizations, sometimes First Aid/CPR — see how practicums work.
• Travel and workplace clothing for your practicum hours.

Tuition and any fees will be published before enrolment opens, and no tuition is collected before then. The funding finder shows which ways to pay may fit you.