Part-Time Patient Experience & Practice Support AssistantReception, Personal Assistance and Digital Communications

Location: Lynnwood, Pretoria

Hours: Approximately 12–16 hours per week / half-day position

Contract: Part-time, with an initial three-month probationary period

Reports to: Practice owner / lead doctor

About the practice

We are a patient-centred multidisciplinary medical practice comprising general practitioners and allied healthcare professionals. Our areas of interest include mental health, sleep medicine, pain management, rheumatology, endocrinology and other chronic health conditions.

We are looking for a warm, capable and digitally confident student or recent graduate to support our reception, patient communication and day-to-day practice administration.

This is a varied role for someone who enjoys working with people, learns technology quickly and can take ownership of small projects.

Purpose of the role The successful candidate will work alongside our current receptionist and help close administrative and communication gaps within the practice. The role combines:

• Patient-facing reception and communication
• Personal-assistant support to the practice owner
• Cloud-based administration
• Social media and patient education
• Assistance with practice projects and events

Key responsibilitiesPatient reception and communication

• Welcome patients professionally and create a warm, reassuring experience.
• Assist with telephone calls, WhatsApp messages, emails and general enquiries.
• Help coordinate appointments and communicate routine practice information.
• Follow up on outstanding forms, documents or non-clinical patient information.
• Assist new patients in navigating the practice and its services.
• Provide reception and administrative cover when required.

Administrative and PA support

• Assist the practice owner with diary coordination, reminders, meeting preparation and follow-up tasks.
• Draft routine emails, notices, documents and internal communications.
• Maintain organised digital records, folders, templates and task lists.
• Support meetings, journal clubs, educational events and other practice projects.
• Assist with basic research, information gathering and document preparation.
• Identify incomplete tasks and follow them through without needing constant supervision.

Digital systems and AI-assisted work

• Work confidently with Google Workspace, including Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Calendar.
• Learn and use practice systems such as GoodX and other cloud-based services.
• Use approved artificial-intelligence tools to assist with drafting, research, planning and content development.
• Check AI-generated work carefully for accuracy, tone and appropriateness.
• Follow all practice rules regarding patient confidentiality, POPIA and the responsible use of AI.
• Never enter identifiable patient information into unapproved AI platforms.

Social media and patient education

• Help plan, draft and schedule appropriate practice social-media content.
• Assist with patient-information leaflets, newsletters, posters and educational material.
• Repurpose approved health information into clear, engaging content for patients.
• Help keep the practice’s online information current and professional.
• Monitor messages and comments and escalate clinical or sensitive matters appropriately.
• Ensure that all clinical and public-facing material is approved before publication.

Approximate allocation of time

• Reception, telephone and patient communication: 35%
• Digital administration and practice systems: 25%
• Social media, patient information and practice communication: 25%
• PA support, leave cover and special projects: 15%

The role is intended to complement the existing receptionist. Accounts, debtors and complex financial administration will remain primarily with the current responsible staff member.

Minimum requirements

• Currently completing, or recently completed, a recognised tertiary degree or diploma
• Strong written and spoken English
• Afrikaans or another South African language would be advantageous
• Confident using computers, cloud-based services and digital communication tools
• Comfortable learning and responsibly using AI tools
• Good social-media literacy and an understanding of professional online communication
• Able to work reliably from the practice during agreed hours
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
• Professional conduct and respect for patient confidentiality

Preferred background Students or recent graduates in areas such as communications, marketing, business administration, psychology, health sciences, public health or a related field are encouraged to apply. However, attitude, judgement, reliability and digital ability will be considered alongside formal qualifications.

Previous experience in reception, customer service, healthcare, social media, administration or student leadership would be beneficial.

Personal qualities

We are looking for someone who is:

• Warm, approachable and comfortable speaking to patients
• Emotionally mature and discreet
• Tech-savvy, curious and willing to learn
• Proactive and able to notice what needs attention
• Organised and dependable
• A clear and thoughtful communicator
• Comfortable switching between reception duties, creative work and practical administration
• Able to accept feedback and work collaboratively
• Sensitive to the needs of patients experiencing mental-health, sleep or chronic-health difficulties

Important professional boundaries The successful candidate will be required to:

• Sign a confidentiality agreement
• Comply with POPIA and all practice privacy procedures
• Maintain appropriate boundaries with patients
• Refer all clinical questions to a qualified healthcare professional
• Obtain approval before publishing health-related or practice content
• Use AI and cloud services only in accordance with practice policies

What the role offers

• Flexible part-time work that can be structured around university commitments
• Practical experience in healthcare administration, communications and digital systems
• Exposure to a multidisciplinary healthcare environment
• Opportunities to contribute to meaningful patient-education and practice-development projects
• Mentorship and increasing responsibility for a capable, dependable candidate

Application process

Please submit

1. A concise CV
2. A short motivation explaining why this role interests you
3. Your current qualification and expected completion date
4. Your availability during the week
5. An example of a social-media post, patient-information graphic or other piece of written or digital work
6. The AI and cloud-based tools you have used and a brief example of how you used them responsibly

Shortlisted applicants may be asked to complete a brief practical exercise involving patient communication, organisation and digital content.

Closing date: 21 August

Proposed starting date: 1 September

Remuneration: to be discussed

Application email: reception@colabhealth.co.za

Your motivation must include your qualification, availability and one practical example of using AI, cloud services or social media. Incomplete applications will not be considered