Medical Secretary

Why We Love It

The career guide provides comprehensive information including salary, job growth, employers, best schools, and education requirements.

Quick Degree Finder

Graduates are highly sought by employers since it means less training will be needed upon hiring.

Why We Love It

$34,330 Potential Avg. Salary

20.5% Job Growth Rate

Job Outlook

Dependable Daily Workload

Career Attribute

• Organized
• Courteous
• Excellent Communication
• Time Management Skills
• Discreet
• Strong Sense of Integrity

Responsibilities

• Take dictation and write reports for doctors, administrators and healthcare professionals
• Greet patients and take basic medical histories; process their insurance coverage and take payments; arrange for hospitalization if necessary
• Schedule patients for office visits, follow-ups, diagnostic testing, consults or surgery
• Function smoothly with computers and various office equipment, such as word processors, varied software applications to sort medical histories, invoices and financial statements, copiers, printers and voicemail systems
• Properly maintain medical records in accordance with the law, along with more standard office filing and correspondence

Employers

Medical secretaries work in physicians’ offices, hospitals, outpatient care facilities and research centers.

Best Schools

Most medical secretaries are required to have a high school diploma. Postsecondary institutions and vocational training covers increasingly important knowledge and skills, such as instruction in the complicated and industry specific terminology used in the medical field.

Education You May Need

Graduates are highly sought by employers since it means less training will be needed upon hiring. Certification is not a requirement for employment, but it oftentimes results in higher pay upon entry into the field and opportunities for advancement.

Skills

Medical secretaries must be practiced and comfortable with medical terminology and codes, hospital and laboratory procedures and medical ethics.

Benefits

Job opportunities for medical secretaries are expected to rise at a rate far in excess of the national average for all occupations, however this is largely tied to the prospects of the healthcare sector. An aging population with more access to health insurance will require more medical secretaries to handle the increase in administrative tasks. Regardless of the particulars of the industry, medical secretaries will find their skills easily transferrable to numerous other job prospects.

Pay

National Anual Salary

• Low Range: $27,070
• Average: $34,330
• High Range: $48,670

National Hourly Wage

• Low Range: $13/hr
• Average: $17/hr
• High Range: $23/hr

Schedule

Full-time, Monday through Friday, with only occasional overtime and weekends needed.