The Canadian Medical Secretary Handbook

Toby Rupert was a librarian living in Toronto.

Publisher W. B. Saunders has been well known for its medical secretary handbooks and textbooks. This one details, for self-starters and those who require a brush-up, the “medical office procedures.” There are the usual review questions plus definitions of paramedical terms.

The stress here is on routines: handling mail, writing letters, filing, accounts, insurance, legal points. Other sections deal with medical terminology and jargon, filling out forms, use of swift communications, assisting the doctor (home visits, the bag, agencies and associations, examinations) as well as personal matters dealing with appearance, manner, reception of patients, use of the phone, etc. Of note for career changers are the sections on job opportunities, the types of medical practices, and the medical secretary associations. This is a useful little book that neatly summarizes the field, and it is characterized by a nice, upbeat enthusiasm for the job.