What is everyday working life like as a medical practice coordinator with a federal certificate?

Medical practice coordinators with a federal certificate work mainly in medical practices, but also as group leaders in case management for health insurance companies and insurers. A medical practice coordinator has the know-how to relieve and support doctors in their daily work. This enables them to improve the quality of patient care and efficiency in the practice. The specific tasks depend on the type of training.

Medical practice coordinators in a clinical directionlook after people with chronic illnesses on behalf of and under the supervision of a doctor. They are their direct contact person and ensure that long-term patients receive appropriate medical treatment, sufficient information and motivation. MPK tasks include

• Assessment of health status including analysis of risk factors (physical, psychological and social)
• Planning measures to maintain or improve the well-being and independence of patients
• Independent monitoring of appointments, requests for checks and partial implementation of care and treatment measures (e.g. long-term glucose measurement and discussion with diabetes patients)
• Information and support for family caregivers
• Coordination with other bodies involved in a patient's care (e.g. Spitex services, social services, etc.)

Medical practice coordinators in the practice management directionare familiar with the clinical and administrative processes in a medical practice thanks to their previous training. Further training enables them to contribute to the economic success of the medical practice as a company in a responsible position. Their management level and range of tasks depend on the size of the medical practice. Their tasks include

• Organization, management and evaluation of practical work
• Human resources and accounting
• Optimization of workflows in the practice
• Safety and quality management in accordance with legal requirements
• Checking and ordering materials and medicines
• Monitoring of equipment and devices and their maintenance
• Interface to other medical facilities, insurance companies and authorities

Target group and skills: Who is the professional examination for medical practice coordinators with a federal certificate suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The Medical Practice Coordinator course is aimed at healthcare professionals (medical practice assistants, veterinary practice assistants, dental assistants, pharmaceutical assistants, medical secretaries and hospital secretaries, H+ medical secretaries, healthcare assistants, care specialists, nurses and other professions) who work in a medical practice.

• want to take on more responsibility as an MPK and perform more demanding tasks independently and
• apply their medical and clinical knowledge combined with business management know-how in a management function or
• want to participate independently in the care of chronically ill patients and work directly with those affected.

The following skills and characteristics are required for successful employment as a Medical Practice Coordinator:

• Interest in health issues and confidentiality
• Strong sociability and communication skills
• Empathy and balance
• High sense of responsibility
• commercial skills
• Precise working method
• Organizational talent
• quick comprehension
• Resilience and flexibility
• Leadership qualities

Requirements for admission to the MPK professional examination in Medical Practice Coordination:

For admission to the final examination (federal professional examination) as a Medical Practice Coordinator, the following prerequisites are required at the start of the examination:

• Conclusion of abasic vocational trainingin the medical field (medical practice assistant EFZ, medical assistant diploma DVSA) or other equivalent training at upper secondary level or tertiary level
• X-ray authorization thorax/extremities (for the clinical direction)
• Professional experienceof at least 3 years after completion of basic vocational training in all work in the medical practice or at a comparable workplace
• Course certificate for vocational trainers
• Proof of the 6 module qualifications or certificates of equivalence (corresponding to the training content of the Medical Practice Coordinator courses)

Please note that some schools require course participants to work in a medical practice or organization or at least have access to one during the course. This has the advantage that the course material can be applied and deepened directly in practice and that additional years of professional experience can be gained during the course.

You will find out whether you meet the requirements for the professional examination for Medical Practice Coordinators at least seven months before the start of the examination with a written notification - including reasons and information on legal remedies in the event of rejection.

Subject matter and content of the Medical Practice Coordinator further training course:

The subject matter of the preparatory courses for the professional examination for the Medical Practice Coordinator Certificate is based on the requirements of the sponsor of the federal examination, theOdA Vocational Training Medical Practice Assistant.

The learning content of the Medical Practice Coordinator training is divided into the following topics:

• Compulsory modules in both directions:
  • Chronic Care Management (Basic Module I)
  • Chronic Care Management (Basic Module II)
  • Quality management in the medical practice
• Additional compulsory module Clinical Direction:
  • Advice for long-term patients - Diabetes
• Compulsory additional modules Practice management direction:
  • Practice management
  • Personnel management
• Two compulsory elective modules for Clinical Direction from this selection:
  • Advice for long-term patients - Rheumatism
  • Advice for long-term patients - respiratory diseases
  • Advice for long-term patients - coronary heart disease/heart failure
  • Brain weakness
  • Wound treatment
  • Dose-intensive X-ray
• One compulsory elective module for practice managers from this selection:
  • Accounting
  • In-depth IT skills for the medical practice
  • Reprocessing of medical devices
  • Dose-intensive X-ray

Caution: Not all trainers offer both directions and all compulsory elective modules.

If you already hold the "Medical Team Leader SVMB" diploma, this will be credited towards your further training. You then only need to attend the two additional Chronic Care Management modules I and II for the medical practice coordinator practice management course. Some schools also offer special courses for medical team leaders SVMB to prepare them for the BP.

Costs and financing of further training in medical practice coordination:

The costs vary depending on the provider and duration of the Medical Practice Coordinator training. On average, these amounts are to be expected for the training costs:

• Course fees:between CHF 10'800.- and CHF 13'750.-
  After taking the exam, you will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government on application (regardless of the result)*.
• Examination fees:CHF 1,200 (as of 2023) or CHF 2,200 for both disciplines in one appointment
  The examination fee is set by the body responsible for the professional examination. It is paid by the candidate after confirmation of admission to the Medical Practice Coordinator examination.
• Extra costs:At some schools, the costs for enrolment fees, teaching materials, training documents, books, intensive exam training, simulation exams, school diplomas and interim degrees, for example, are not included in the course fees. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect for the Medical Practice Coordinator training course.
• Additional degrees:The following intermediate qualifications offered by the SVMB (Swiss Association of Medical Vocational Schools), which are not included in the costs, can be achieved on the way to becoming an MPK with a federal certificate. After successfully completing the four administrative modules Personnel Management, Practice Management, Accounting and Quality Management, you will receive the SVMB diploma "SVMB Medical Team Leader" with a certificate of achievement. In addition to the four administrative modules, the two modules in Chronic Care Management 1 + 2 can be attended. Participants then receive the SVMB diploma "SVMB Medical Practice Coordinator" with a certificate of achievement.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations such as the Medical Practice Coordinator course have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination. In cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also pre-financed in exceptional cases.

Duration of study, number of teaching hours and learning effort for the Medical Practice Coordinator training:

• The Medical Practice Coordinator training and continuing education course is modular in structure (i.e. some of the skills are assessed in module examinations prior to the professional examination and are only tested across modules in the final examination) and lasts 2 to 4 semesters (max. 5 years). It comprises around 370 lessons (approx. 40 to 80 lessons per module). The modules can be completed individually and, with the exception of CCM I and II, in any order.
• The teaching times vary depending on the provider of the medical practice coordination training. Classes usually take place two evenings a week or on Saturdays and each module comprises approx. 8 teaching units per week. A module course lasts around 5-9 weeks. Many providers start their module courses every three months. This means you can easily take 2 modules per semester.
• Many schools now offer a mix of face-to-face and online teaching (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study.
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of the Medical Practice Coordinator further training course, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for lesson preparation and follow-up as well as for self-study. Depending on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed, we recommend that you allow the same amount of time for the additional workload as the regular course duration.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons", which provide an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. A suitable learning environment is important on the way to successfully completing the Medical Practice Coordinator course.

Degree, diploma and title Medical Practice Coordination:

The professional examination "Medical Practice Coordinator with Federal Certificate" takes place annually in German, French and Italian, provided that the minimum number of 8 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years.
Candidates for the professional examination Medical Practice Coordinator are notified at least 4 months before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (with details of the place and time of the examination and permitted aids) as well as the list of experts and the topic and submission deadline for the written case study to be submitted before the final examination.

The Medical Practice Coordinator professional examination comprises the following four parts:

• Case study (to be submitted in writing before the examination, weighting 4)
  • Description of a real situation from your own practice
  • Reflect on the action cycle in a complete and networked way
• Presentation on the case study (oral, 15 min., weighting 1)
  • Criteria: formal requirements, correctness, comprehensibility and persuasiveness
  • Presenting a case study to experts
• Expert discussion on the case study (oral, 20 min., weighting 2)
  • serves to deepen the written and presented case study
  • clarifies open questions
  • shows alternative courses of action
  • demonstrates the ability to view the knowledge gained in an overarching context and to identify links to other aspects
• Written exam (40 min, weighting 3)
  • Review of basic knowledge from compulsory modules
  • Applying basic knowledge in practical situations

Diploma and title "Medical Practice Coordinator"

Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Medical Practice Coordinator in a clinical field with a federal certificate" or "Medical Practice Coordinator in a clinical field with a federal certificate" as well as "Medical Practice Coordinator in a practice management field with a federal certificate" or "Medical Practice Coordinator in a practice management field with a federal certificate".

• In French: "Coordinateur / Coordinatrice en médecine ambulatoire orientation clinique avec brevet fédéral", "Coordinateur / Coordinatrice en médecine ambulatoire orientation gestion avec brevet fédéral"
• In Italian: "Coordinatore / Coordinatrice in medicina ambulatoriale indirizzo clinico con attestato professionale federale", "Coordinatore / Coordinatrice in medicina ambulatoriale indirizzo gestione con attestato professionale federale"
• In English: "Clinical Specialized Medical Assistant with Federal Diploma of Professional Education and Training", "Lead Specialized Medical Assistant with Federal Diploma of Professional Education and Training" (Note: This is only a recommendation/translation and not a protected title)

Medical Practice Coordinator module qualifications:

For the successful completion of each module, you will receive a school certificate - usually with a grade. The work you have to do to complete a module and the type of examination vary:

• Chronic Care Management (Basic Module I) - Written individual examination, 90 minutes
• Chronic Care Management (Basic Module II) - Documentation with reflection of a patient education course (at least 1500 words)
• Quality management in the medical practice - Written assignment, 30 minutes - Practical/oral assignment, 30 minutes
• Counseling of long-term patients (diabetes) - Written exam, 45 minutes - Oral exam (counseling situation), 15 minutes
• Counseling of long-term patients (rheumatism) - Written exam, 45 minutes - Oral exam (counseling situation), 15 minutes
• Counseling of long-term patients (respiratory diseases) - Written exam with standardized short answer questions, 60 minutes
• Counseling of long-term patients (coronary heart disease/heart failure) - Written exam, 45 minutes - Oral exam (counseling situation), 15 minutes
• Written examination, 45 minutes - Individual oral examination, 15 minutes
• Wound treatment - written work, 60 minutes
• Personnel management - Written paper, 90 minutes
• Practice management - written exam, 120 minutes
• Accounting - Written paper, 90 minutes
• Advanced IT skills for the medical practice - Written exam, 45 minutes
• Reprocessing of medical devices - Written assignment, 90 minutes