Online Clerical Courses and Training Programs

<h3 id="section---WhatYouNeedToKnow">What You Need to Know</h3> <p>Clerical courses and training programs prepare you for a career as key support staff member or virtual employee. You can take courses to specialize in an area such as medicine or law, but all clerical programs include a foundation of core classes. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td><b>Courses</b></td><td> Keyboarding, records management and word processing</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Training</b></td><td> On-the-job training through local companies</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Programs</b></td><td> Office management, secretarial science and office administration</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---WhatKindOfClericalTrainingProgramsAreAvailableOnline">What Kind of Clerical Training Programs are Available Online?</h3> <p>There are a number of online degree programs available to prepare you for clerical work in areas including office management, secretarial science and office administration. These programs are generally offered at the certificate and associate degree levels. You could study to become an administrative assistant or secretary in a specific industry, such as healthcare or law. Other programs teach you how to provide fundamental office skills or work as a virtual assistant. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatWillILearn">What Will I Learn?</h3> <p>In these types of programs, you'll learn how to perform a variety of clerical tasks. Your coursework will likely range from general office or computer skills to more specific industry knowledge. Some sample courses could include: </p> <ul><li>Records management </li><li>Accounting </li><li>Keyboarding </li><li>Word processing </li><li>Basic office skills </li><li>Transcription </li><li>Internet technologies </li><li>E-commerce </li><li>Business communication </li></ul><p>If you enroll in a medical office clerical program, you'll likely learn about insurance claims and medical office management. You might also take some courses covering medical records or terminology, psychology, or medical software. If you'd like to work in a law office, you can find online courses and programs that teach you legal terminology, law office procedures, court-related functions, ethics, and legal communication. If you're interested in becoming a virtual assistant, your classes might include introductory business and web development. </p> <h3 id="section---HowDoTheseOnlineClassesWork">How Do These Online Classes Work?</h3> <p>Like any typical online course, you'll connect to the school's website or course management system through the Internet to access your course materials. Most of your clerical courses will include standard reading and writing assignments. You might also take your quizzes online. For courses like keyboarding, you'll be allowed to engage in timed practices in order to familiarize yourself with keyboard layout and improve your typing speed. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatCanIDoWithMyTraining">What Can I Do with My Training?</h3> <p>Some clerical programs, such as those in legal office administration, prepare you for many work settings, including private practices, corporate legal departments, real estate and government offices. Possible job titles include office manager, secretary or executive assistant. A virtual office program prepares you to work as an independent contractor or for a virtual office service. Some technology courses could also prepare you to pass Microsoft Office Specialist certification exams.</p>