• Medical office specialist schools teach students to operate clerical and healthcare software.computer image by Orlando Florin Rosu from Fotolia.com
  
  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for medical secretaries will increase by 27 percent from 2008 through 2018, resulting in the creation of 125,500 new jobs in the field. Working as a medical office specialist requires the ability to operate healthcare-related software and a working knowledge of medical terminology. A number of schools in the United States offer programs designed to give students the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to obtain a position as a medical office specialist and succeed in the role.
  
  

Los Angeles ORT College

• Los Angeles ORT College is a private, for-profit career training school with branches in Van Nuys and Los Angeles, California. The college offers a medical office specialist diploma program, which is available as 30-week daylight and 40-week afternoon or evening programs. Students study keyboarding, software, medical terminology, anatomy, medical billing techniques and medical records management. To offset the cost of tuition, students may qualify for federal or state loans and grants, work study, private loans or institutional scholarships through Los Angeles ORT College. The college's Job Placement Office assists students and graduates with job searches by maintaining a network of local job opportunities.
  
  Los Angeles ORT College
  6435 Wilshire Blvd.
  Los Angeles, CA 90048
  323-966-5444
  laort.edu
  
  

CALC Institute of Technology

• Located in Alton and Fairview Heights, Illinois, CALC Institute of Technology is a private, for-profit school that specializes in information technology programs. The school's medical office specialist program requires 33 weeks of daylight or 48 weeks of evening study to complete. Among the topics covered in the program are medical accounting, billing and coding, terminology, medical transcription, medical privacy law compliance and the use of Microsoft software, like Excel, Word and Access. Financial aid sources available to CALC students include federal and state loans and grants, veterans benefits and vocational rehabilitation grants and loans. To assist students with finding employment, the school presents workshops in job search and interviewing skills, and also provides resume-writing assistance.
  
  CALC Institute of Technology
  235A East Center Drive
  Alton, IL 62002
  618-474-0616
  calc4it.com
  
  

Westmoreland County Community College

• Located in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County Community College is 32 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The public college grants an Associate of Applied Science degree in Office Technology with a specialization in medical administration. The program requires two years of full-time study to complete, and features coursework in business communication, speech, medical transcription and small business management. Students also take classes in the use of numerous software programs, including Adobe Acrobat and Dreamweaver, Quickbooks and Microsoft Power Point, Word, Excel and Access. Federal and state financial aid and work-study are available to qualified students, and the college offers numerous institutional scholarships and grants. The Career Planning Center offers career counseling and skills testing as well as interview preparation and resume-writing assistance. A childcare center is located on-site for students who are parents.
  
  Westmoreland County Community College
  145 Pavilion Lane
  Youngwood, PA 15697
  724-925-4000
  wccc.edu