Athena Hartman graduated from Lake Superior College in 2014 from the Medical Administrative Secretary program. She served as president of the Business Professionals of America (BPA) Club and earned numerous state and national awards. She grew up and lives in Cloquet. She plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree in medical administration. She works as a medical receptionist in Cloquet at Park Avenue Physical Therapy and has also taught at LSC in the Medical Administration Program.
“LSC’s medical administration program teaches you very practical knowledge,” said Hartman. “I apply my training from LSC every day in my job– deciphering medical terminology, effectively communicating with both patients and staff, and scheduling efficiently.”
One of the many benefits of a medical administration career is a consistent work schedule. Being first a wife and mom to Sophia, her seven-year-old daughter, Hartman values working in an office with predictable hours and weekends off. “I love spending time with my family and friends and having time for my daughter and her interests, ” she said. “I didn’t think nursing was right for me, so I focused on an administrative office career. I decided to go back to school for this degree after having my daughter. I wanted to have a career so I could be a good role model for her.”
She remarks that the field of medical secretary/administrative office specialist has changed in last few years with employers desiring more training, including hard skills such as computer data base management and word processing and soft skills such as effective speaking, critical thinking and communication. “I believe there is always going to be a need for people in the healthcare office administration field and the demand, both nationally and locally, shows that. I know LSC consistently get calls from local employers who are keen to hire LSC students who are in the administrative office or medical administration programs. They know we have rigorous programs that train students for a broad spectrum of office administration roles.”
