Excel Foundations

Week 4 — Lesson 1  |  CI2000: Computer Fundamentals

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Microsoft Excel is the most widely used spreadsheet application in the world, and it plays a critical role in healthcare administration. From tracking patient vitals to managing supply inventories and scheduling staff shifts, Excel provides the grid-based workspace that healthcare professionals rely on every day. Before you can harness its power, you need to understand the interface — the controls and areas you will interact with to enter, organize, and analyze data.

Opening Excel and Creating a Workbook

When you launch Microsoft Excel, you are greeted by the Start screen, which offers options to create a Blank workbook or choose from a gallery of templates. For most healthcare data tasks, you will start with a blank workbook. According to Microsoft's official documentation, a workbook is an Excel file that contains one or more worksheets (also called sheets or tabs). Think of a workbook as a binder and each worksheet as a separate page within it. A clinic might use one workbook with separate sheets for each month's patient visit data, or a medical office might have one sheet for the appointment schedule and another for supply orders.

Key Interface Elements

Once you open a blank workbook, the Excel window presents several important areas you must learn to navigate. Explore each component below:

Cell References and Ranges

Understanding cell references is fundamental to everything you do in Excel. The A1 reference style identifies each cell by its column letter followed by its row number. For example, the cell in the third column and fifth row is C5. A range is a group of adjacent cells identified by the top-left and bottom-right cells, separated by a colon. The range A1:C10 includes all cells from column A through column C, rows 1 through 10. Ranges are used constantly in formulas, formatting, and printing.

Interface Element	Location	Function	Healthcare Example
Ribbon	Top of window (tabbed toolbar)	Groups commands by category (Home, Insert, Formulas, Data, etc.)	Use the Home tab to bold column headers in a patient tracking sheet
Formula Bar	Below the Ribbon	Displays and allows editing of the active cell's contents or formula	Review a SUM formula calculating total supply costs
Name Box	Left of Formula Bar	Shows the address of the active cell; type an address to navigate directly	Jump to cell A500 in a large patient roster by typing A500
Worksheet Grid	Center of window	Rows and columns forming cells where data is entered and organized	Enter patient names in column A, vitals readings in columns B-F
Sheet Tabs	Bottom of window	Switch between worksheets; rename, add, delete, or color-code tabs	Separate tabs for January, February, and March patient visits
Status Bar	Very bottom of window	Displays quick calculations (Sum, Average, Count) for selected cells	Select a column of blood pressure readings to see the average instantly
Quick Access Toolbar	Top-left corner (above Ribbon)	Customizable toolbar for frequently used commands (Save, Undo, Redo)	Add Print Preview for quick access when printing medication logs

The core purpose of a spreadsheet is to hold data, and Excel accepts several types of data in each cell. Understanding these data types and how Excel treats them is essential for building accurate healthcare spreadsheets.

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Entering Data Efficiently

When entering data into Excel, several keyboard techniques speed up the process:

• Tab – Press Tab to move one cell to the right after entering data. This is efficient when filling out a row of patient information (name, date, vitals, notes).
• Enter – Press Enter to move one cell down. Use this when entering a list of values in a column, such as a series of patient names.
• Ctrl+Enter – Confirms the entry and keeps the cursor in the same cell. Useful when you want to verify data before moving on.
• Escape – Cancels the current entry and restores the cell to its previous value.

Auto-Fill: Excel's Time-Saving Feature

One of Excel's most powerful data entry features is Auto-Fill. When you enter data that follows a pattern — such as dates, days of the week, months, or numbered sequences — Excel can automatically extend the pattern to fill adjacent cells. To use Auto-Fill:

1. Enter the first value (e.g., Monday or January) in a cell.
2. Hover over the small square in the bottom-right corner of the cell (the fill handle).
3. Click and drag the fill handle down or across to fill the series.

For numeric sequences, enter at least two values to establish the pattern (e.g., enter 1 in one cell and 2 in the next), select both cells, then drag the fill handle. Auto-Fill is invaluable in healthcare spreadsheets — you can quickly generate a column of appointment dates, a series of patient ID numbers, or a list of months for a yearly tracking report.

Editing Cells

To edit an existing cell, you have three options:

• Overwrite – Simply select the cell and start typing. The new entry replaces the old one entirely.
• Edit Mode – Double-click the cell (or press F2) to place the cursor inside the cell, allowing you to edit part of the content without retyping everything.
• Formula Bar editing – Select the cell, then click in the formula bar to edit the contents there. This is especially useful for long text entries or complex formulas.

To clear a cell's contents without deleting the cell itself, select the cell and press the Delete key. To undo a mistake, press Ctrl+Z immediately. Excel supports multiple levels of undo, so you can step back through several recent changes.

▶ Excel Tutorial for Beginners • Kevin Stratvert

Raw data in Excel is only useful if it is readable and clearly understood. Number formatting controls how values appear in cells without changing the underlying data. Cell styles provide visual structure that makes spreadsheets scannable and professional. Together, these tools transform a wall of numbers into a clear, actionable healthcare document.

Number Format Types

Excel offers a wide variety of built-in number formats. To apply a number format, select the cells, then use the Number Format drop-down in the Home tab's Number group, or right-click and choose Format Cells.

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Applying Cell Styles for Visual Organization

Beyond number formatting, Excel provides cell styles that combine font, border, shading, and alignment settings into one-click presets. These are found in the Home tab under Cell Styles. Key cell style categories include:

• Titles and Headings – Larger, bold fonts for worksheet titles and section headers.
• Themed Cell Styles – Color-coordinated backgrounds and fonts that match the workbook's theme.
• Number Format Styles – Quick-apply styles for Currency, Comma, and Percent formats.
• Good, Bad, and Neutral – Color-coded styles (green, red, yellow) for highlighting status indicators.

For healthcare spreadsheets, using consistent cell styles ensures that anyone reading the spreadsheet can quickly identify headers, data sections, totals, and alerts.

Formatting Borders, Shading, and Column Widths

• Borders – Select cells and use the Borders button on the Home tab to add or remove cell borders. Common options include All Borders, Outside Borders, and Bottom Border (for totals rows).
• Fill Color (Shading) – Use the Fill Color button to add background color to cells. In healthcare spreadsheets, shade header rows in a distinct color, highlight abnormal lab values in red, or use alternating row colors for easier reading.
• AutoFit – Double-click the right edge of a column header to automatically resize the column to fit the widest entry.
• Exact Sizing – Right-click the column header, choose Column Width, and enter a specific number for uniform columns across your worksheet.

Number Format	What It Does	Healthcare Example	Display
General	No specific format; displays value as entered	Patient age	45
Number	Fixed decimal places with optional comma separator	Body temperature reading	98.60
Currency	Dollar sign with two decimal places	Patient copay amount	$25.00
Accounting	Aligned dollar signs and decimals in columns	Monthly supply budget report	$ 1,250.00
Percentage	Value multiplied by 100 with percent sign	Flu vaccination compliance rate	92%
Date (Short)	Displays date in compact format	Appointment date	2/16/2026
Date (Long)	Displays date with full month name	Patient discharge date	February 16, 2026
Time	Displays time in hours and minutes	Appointment start time	8:30 AM
Custom (Phone)	User-defined format code for phone numbers	Patient contact number	(555) 123-4567
Custom (MRN)	Leading zeros preserved for ID numbers	Medical record number	007452

Two Excel features are especially valuable for healthcare professionals who work with large datasets: conditional formatting and freezing panes. Conditional formatting automatically changes the appearance of cells based on their values, making it easy to spot trends and outliers. Freezing panes keeps header rows or columns visible as you scroll through extensive data.

Conditional Formatting: Visual Alerts for Healthcare Data

Conditional formatting applies formatting rules — colors, icons, data bars — to cells based on conditions you define. Access it from the Home tab by selecting Conditional Formatting in the Styles group.

• Highlight Cells Rules – Format cells that are greater than, less than, between, or equal to a specified value. Example: Highlight all systolic blood pressure readings greater than 140 in red to flag hypertension.
• Top/Bottom Rules – Format the top 10 items, bottom 10 items, above average, or below average values. Example: Highlight the top 10% longest patient wait times.
• Data Bars – Add horizontal bars inside cells that reflect the relative value. Example: Apply data bars to patient satisfaction scores to visually compare results.
• Color Scales – Apply a gradient of two or three colors across a range. Example: Green-to-red scale on lab values where green is normal and red is critical.
• Icon Sets – Add icons (arrows, flags, traffic lights) based on value thresholds. Example: Traffic light icons on a compliance dashboard.

Freezing Panes: Keeping Headers Visible

When your spreadsheet contains dozens or hundreds of rows, scrolling down causes the header row to disappear. Freeze Panes solves this by locking specific rows or columns in place while the rest of the worksheet scrolls freely.

• Freeze Top Row
• Freeze First Column
• Custom Freeze

Now that you understand the Excel interface, data entry, formatting, conditional formatting, and freezing panes, let's put it all together by building a practical healthcare spreadsheet step by step. This walkthrough simulates a real task you might perform in a medical office: creating a patient vitals tracking spreadsheet that records daily readings for a group of patients.

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Formatting a Clinic Schedule

The same skills apply to creating a clinic schedule spreadsheet. Columns might include Time Slot, Monday through Friday, with patient names or appointment types in each cell. Use merged cells for the title row, borders to create a grid, fill colors to distinguish morning from afternoon slots, and conditional formatting to highlight open appointment slots in green.

Knowledge Checks

A medical assistant is entering patient vitals into an Excel spreadsheet and wants to review the exact contents of a cell before confirming an edit. Which part of the Excel interface displays the full contents of the currently selected cell?

The Formula Bar

The Status Bar

The Name Box

The Sheet Tab

Check Answer

Answer: The Formula Bar is located below the Ribbon and displays the complete contents of the active cell, including text, numbers, and formulas. The Status Bar shows quick calculations like Sum and Average, the Name Box shows the cell address, and Sheet Tabs switch between worksheets.

A billing specialist enters the value 0.15 into a cell that represents a 15% insurance discount rate. Which number format should be applied so the cell displays '15%' instead of '0.15'?

Currency format

Accounting format

Percentage format

Custom format

Check Answer

Answer: Percentage format multiplies the underlying value by 100 and appends a percent sign. When you enter 0.15 and apply Percentage format, Excel displays 15%. Currency and Accounting formats add dollar signs, while Custom format is used for non-standard formats like phone numbers or medical record numbers.

A nurse wants Excel to automatically highlight any patient temperature reading above 100.4°F in red. Which Excel feature should the nurse use?

Data Validation

Cell Styles

Conditional Formatting

Number Formatting

Check Answer

Answer: Conditional Formatting automatically applies visual formatting (colors, icons, data bars) to cells based on rules you define, such as "greater than 100.4." Cell Styles apply static formatting that does not change based on cell values, Data Validation restricts what data can be entered, and Number Formatting controls how values display but does not add color-based alerts.