medical assistant

laboratory assistant

patient access representative

histology technician

histotechnologist

Forefront Dermatology

I work remote. Interview was a phone screen first then a group zoom interview. Very fast and casual. They where very friendly. Pay is 15.50 decent benifits for full and part time. They send you the equipment, a bit hectic to set up but, If I can do it anyone can. Training is 4 weeks. A lot of kahoots and getting to know each other. The first 2 your learning through zoom you must have your camera on. 3rd week you start outbound and 4th week you take live calls. They will be on a couple of calls with you while you share your screen to review them then you get to be on your own with no zoom. Towards the end of the week you get handed off to your assigned team. You still get help through the training chat until the end of the 4th week. Everyone is SUPER nice and helpful. It's one of those " where a family" company. They use workplace which is like a social media but for work. Very organized and easy access to online info about your job, how to do it and where to get help for what. BEWARE though it's a lot more than standard scheduling. It takes about 10 min to schedule. You will deal with insurance just making sure they take it but it can still be confusing. They don't require experience but I really think they should. It's a long tedious process with a lot of double checking each physician and clinic preferences which they have A LOT. You will be doing calls for multiple clinics in multiple states and cities. Most of the time the patient thinks they are talking to the clinics actual receptionist since sometimes you have to pretend to answer for that clinic making it awkward when you can't give directions or need to go through the whole process for a basic question cause you need more info on the patient and clinic. There is just SO MUCH to do to just schedule an appointment. I and many others where completely caught off guard and wondering what did we get into. Most of time it's back to back but, then you have times where you have no calls for a couple of minutes, but your expected to do outbound during this time while still being in an available state on Ring Central. This makes it difficult since you need to set up for an outbound call and by the time your done you get another call. Having to quicky exit out and get set up for the new call. They don't let you use unavailable outbound work so idk why it's even there. They will review your calls and go over it with you once a month and it's a point system. If you miss a keyword its a point deducted. They track your number of calls and the time you spend in available/unavailable. A lot of the time I have to use unavailable work off phone because there are things you need to go back and do that takes more than the 30 seconds you have after a call. You get 2 set 15 minutes breaks and a 30 minute lunch. Taking personal time is frowned upon so I guess they want you to train your body for set bathroom breaks. Retail was actually less exhausting and has more down time. Great people, very organized but unfortunately I will be looking for something else 

I learned a few new things about Dermatology and Skincare since I took the time to ask staff questions, whether it was related to how to navigate the multiple systems we used or about products and procedures we offered. Sadly, my thirst for knowledge was perceived as distracting and not a want to absorb as much information as possible to further grow the practice. 
The staff were friendly upon first introductions, however, the morale is lowered due to being short staffed. Numerous complaints were voiced in my presence during the first month of employment from coworkers about overwhelming patient volume and workload. I heard repeated complaints from coworkers that the office has outgrown the location after only a few years and how the office needed to be bigger. Having a bigger office would help, but only if there was enough staff to fill it. 
A team dynamic is very much emphasized, but due to the staffing shortage, teamwork falls well below expectations set by management. Overall office morale needs much improvement. 
The hardest part of the job was trying to keep the office flowing when the tools to be successful were not provided. Workload was not made clear upon first arrival, only that the practice is very busy and fast paced. While employees try to be helpful to new staff during initial training, it appears to be a sink or swim environment since there isn’t enough time to stop and answer questions due to the volume of patients. 
In addition to the complaints about the staffing shortage, most of my first month was spent talking about non job related things when there was a small break in between patients checking in and out. It would have been more beneficial to the overall office flow and moral, if the small breaks were spent training instead of discussing non work related topics amongst the staff. If there was a better balance between work life and personal life in the office, things would flow more smoothly and new staff wouldn’t be subjected to non stop complaining shortly after starting at this particular office. 
Management truly strived for excellent, but due to the issues mentioned above, training took a backseat 90% of the time. 
Office was esthetically pleasant with the exception of continued plumbing issues and a foul odor coming from inside the building.

The only people punished for their mistakes are those who actually work and strive to do better. The “good” workers here are overworked and overwhelmed, and treated like they’re replaceable when they make a complaint. If someone is “bad” at this job, they’ll be allowed to run free, demolishing both patient care and expensive machinery. If someone is hard working and careful, however, they will be written up for so much as following instructions. I wish that was an exaggeration.

Management is NOT present and gets defensive when an issue is brought to them.  Management has also been trying to smooth over everything by giving out shallow prizes that are 1. Cheap and 2. Do nothing to solve any problems.

This company WILL lie to you about your pay. They will tell you you’re making a certain rate and when you realize they’re short paying, you’ll get one email about how they’ll fix their mistake on your next paycheck, and then you’ll never see that difference enter your bank account. The way management handles payroll here is very backhanded and secretive.

The only opportunity for advancement from a lab assistant position is to join the histology program. They will hype it up at your interview and make it seem like wanting to do the program is a requirement. Then, when it comes time to tell people who will be granted the opportunity to apply, the team leads will go behind everyone’s backs to give them that information. If you didn’t get in, you have to ask and find out yourself. There is no transparency in this process. First, they’ll say it’s by seniority, then they’ll say it’s by credits. Truthfully, they select who they want to enter the program. I heard nothing but conflicting information about why people made it into the program. They hand pick people and refuse to be honest about it. I also find it concerning how many of the students in the program would mention that they felt trapped into employement because they did the program.

Despite all this, I met some amazing people while working here. I definitely made some life-long friendships at this company. My team leads were amazing, and helped me as much as they could.

The management style at Forefront lends itself to employee frustration and burnout. Upper management shows blatant favoritism toward employees who do little to no work, while holding monthly meetings to yell about shortening turnaround time. Management’s favorites were all but formally exempt from hitting performance targets and spent most of their time walking from room to room ordering their peers around.

My Team Lead was receptive to my concerns relating to efficiency and increasing turnaround time—until I asked her to get our other team members to share some of the impossible workload placed on my shoulders. I had been expected for months to single-handedly ensure that all our team’s tasks were completed each and every night (including accessioning samples up to twice as fast as all my other team members) while most of my team members would hide in the bathroom or in the basement supply room in order to avoid their most basic responsibilities. When I informed my Team Lead of this and asked for support, I was gaslit about the root of the problems on our shift (and broadly throughout the lab) and told I was highly replaceable.

Forefront’s management is wholly delusional about why their employee turnover is so high, while simultaneously unwilling to do anything concrete to improve it. Buying employees the occasional lunch will do nothing to better a work environment that is built on gossip and a deeply uneven workload distribution. Employees that were best at their jobs were “rewarded” with more work and an expectation that they would cover for coworkers who “just don’t feel like” doing their jobs.

All in all, Forefront employees fall into two categories: those actively looking for employment elsewhere, and brown-nosing “yes men”. Forefront is a fine place to work as long as you’re able to stomach a toxic environment for a time. I recommend applying only if you are between jobs and need a steady paycheck while looking for something better.

I was so excited to get a job at forefront dermatology. when i first start things were mostly good. Training was very minimal making it hard to jump into the position but I did it anyway. The office is constantly busy so I tried my hardest to jump in and help patients right away. Unfortunately I could probably write a novel about everything this company put me through.

patient billing is a extremely disorganized. Patients will get bills for things they already paid due to system errors, scheduling errors, or billing being unresponsive and dismissive. scheduling systems constantly go down causing massive timing problems, awkward interactions and angry patients. Unfortunately, Forefront in my experience is a massive company that cares about getting paid even if the standards are not ethical. 

As a patient service representative, you are frequently in an overstimulated state of mind because of understaffing and not being able to take the time to deligate tasks due to the intense workload forced onto you. When you need a manager you often don’t have one because the office manager, like many other members on staff are given to many responsibilities. Mistakes happen when there is not anyone to ask for help and you have to work at an unsustainable pace often. Management in my experience doesn’t seem to care about your concerns and passively aggressively micromanages you even though they know you are stressed out by other task that need to be completed. 

The drs run behind because they see too many patients. this makes the patients who come in very upset as expected. i have been screamed at, cussed, had things thrown at me…

I met some great people along the way which made the job better and gave me a sense of belonging and community. I wish I could say I had a good experience though. i will miss some of my coworkers but im happy to move onto something more aligned with my expectations.

Run.
I relocated for this position expecting a long-term career and resigned within weeks because of my experience. During the short time I worked there, I was not the first person to leave, and other employees were already exploring opportunities elsewhere while recruiters were actively trying to hire more histotechnicians.
The organization appears willing to spend significant money on recruiting and sign-on bonuses, but in my experience it does not address the reasons employees leave. A sign-on bonus does not fix poor management or communication. It simply creates a financial penalty for employees who ultimately decide they cannot stay.
Simple solutions that could have improved retention were dismissed. I requested a minor schedule adjustment that would have allowed me to use public transportation while working the same number of hours. I was told everyone on the shift had to start and end at the same time, yet another night shift employee had a different start time.
I was also discouraged from using the automated functions of equipment that I had prior experience using and that other employees used. Explanations for decisions often did not match what I observed in practice, and I felt that my training and professional judgment were not respected despite being hired as an experienced technician.
Most telling to me was what happened after I resigned. I emailed HR the night I quit explaining my concerns, and no one contacted me to ask what happened or why I was leaving. If the company truly wants to understand why employees keep leaving, it should start by listening to the people who do. Based on my experience, I would advise anyone considering a position there to think carefully before accepting an offer.

Dermatology is fast paced with something new to learn everyday even after a decade. Management in my area is fantastic. Providers are also kind but can be intense. I enjoy that, personally. My clinics providers actively put effort & work in on bettering the staff and themselves for the past couple years. Which I find admirable.
Now for what I think is bad buisness. I find Forefront’s compensation structure as a company chaotic, and non-competitive. It’s pulling teeth for competitive wages to your area of the US because of how Forefront structures their clinical wage overhead and annual expenditures. Large company… small recourses. The “merit” raises have a 3% cap every year. Which I find embarrassing. 

THE BENEFITS: I should not have to be actively dying in order to use the benefits from my employer. Every. Year. Forefront adds an extra 1 or 2 insurances we can sign up for at our expense in order to show that the company… cares. The company wide email every year does showcase more flash in regard to benefits for us every year. They just aren’t very beneficial. Ever. 

In conclusion, every clinic location is provider run and operated under the umbrella of Forefront Dermatology although some under the umbrella do have a different dermatology name in larger cities. Wage and benefits suck. It is what it is.

I happen to adore my co-workers but it takes work and positivity. Some sarcasm. You’ll learn something everyday if you care to. Even if you don’t plan long term employment, I would highly recommend dermatology for people new to healthcare work. You learn skills and you learn them rapidly. You’ll get what you put into it. 

Ask honest follow up questions in your interview about what you’re truly looking to get out of your job. 

I was a lab assistant at Forefront Dermatology in 2021. I enjoy working in the medical field and providing quality service. Forefront management prefer to put much more emphasis on quantity over quality and this takes a toll on the hourly employees.

A typical day of an employee at forefront's lab consists of one mind numbing task for your entire shift with no variety.

Lab assistants on 1st shift embed patient tissue.
Lab assistants on 2nd shift open and accession samples.
Lab assistants on 3rd shift embed patient tissue.
Histotechs on 1st shift cut blocks.
Histotechs on 2nd shift gross specimens.
Histotechs on 3rd shift cut blocks.

No one is allowed to learn new things or have any variety even if you are qualified and show interest. They keep employees on the same bench to make them as fast as possible and hope they last a while before quitting due to burnout.

Management only cares about the bottom line, turnaround time, and securing a nice bonus by running a skeleton crew into the ground and this is reflected in the high turnover rate.

There is also no clear way to advance in the company. Lab Assistants who have worked there for years make the exact same amount (or less!) than new hires. Forefront frequently has hired new employees at higher wages without raising current staff wages who do the exact same job but better due to their experience.

I have worked in many fields and overall my work experience at Forefront has been the worst. Management flies the false flag of patient care while sapping all possible joy out of the employees and using their hard work to move themselves forward. It's a nightmare.

I can not recommend working as a lab assistant at Forefront Dermatology until there are meaningful changes made to the management and company philosophy.

Got hired through a temporary agency.
Team leads have a massive attitude and demand you to turn on your camera even for the training. There is zero point in having it on for training or the job itself... which is exciting 80 calls per day, some of which are recorded and monitored for feedback evaluation. I could understand if the policies required them to but they did not. 

My job was supposed to be bilingual with a few dollars more hourly.. they switched it to regular and EVERY person I've seen on the team is a late thirties cisgender woman. There is no diversity of thought whatsoever.

Team leads look miserable, coworkers looked miserably and frankly I'm pretty miserable myself. I can't imagine anyone working here if they aren't.

Don't believe the lies about it being a remote job. They WILL watch over you, the people I worked with had to ASK to go to bathroom like it's high school. Hardly anyone seemed computer literate so they'd waste the entire day bringing them up while firing CAPABLE workers because they require you to submit a test each day.. It's insane, even my retail job wasn't as crazy about monitoring workers. You won't get a second of break.

When I expressed that I'm uncomfortable with the way they took my flexibility and provided nothing in return, I got fired. I agreed for a worse job with less pay when they suddenly changed their mind. I agreed to wait 2 weeks even though there was no reason... 

Pretend you're AI, treat yourself with zero respect and maybe you'll last here a year..

The job it’s self is easy, once you learn insurances it’s really not bad. But management and team leads are a different thing. One, don’t get sick, ever. They make you out to be a monster if you do. You take 150 calls a day of people beating your ear because their phone system is just a complete mess.  Doctors are triple booked but they keep jamming patients in to get that money, patient quality and care has taken a dramatic nose dive. When a patients calls and says they have a major problem, issue, complaint your team leads get upset when you reach out with a patient concern, they just say have them leave a message. After leaving multiple messages with a clinic with no return calls, that IS NOT what the patient wants, or deserves for that matter. When you ask questions, IF they answer you it is usually a condescending answer. You will be asked to work weekends, work through your lunch or work past quit time to help with the massively high call volumes. But if you click in 2 minutes late due to their programs never running correctly and slow systems, you will be docked half a day. For 2 minutes!! The employee turn over rate is also extremely high, very poor employee retention. If you emails to read, do that on your personal time. An email from management is not something that is deemed necessary to be read while you are on the clock. As well as training refreshers that you are required to take, that is personal time as well. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Medical assistant 4 salaries reported	$22.25 per hour
Laboratory assistant 6 salaries reported	$17.61 per hour
Patient access representative 3 salaries reported	$15.17 per hour
Histology technician 5 salaries reported	$25.00 per hour
Histotechnologist 3 salaries reported	$33.00 per hour

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