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Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
Other titles employers use
Clinic Office Assistant · Front Desk Receptionist · Medical Office Specialist · Medical Receptionist · Medical Secretary · Physician Office Specialist · Secretary · Unit Clerk
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
- Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
- Complete insurance or other claim forms.
- Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
- Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
- Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing, helping and persuading work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Personnel and Human Resources
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.3 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 1.8 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.4 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 53%
- A two-year degree 26%
- A certificate or some college 21%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Medical software
- Word processing software
- Accounting software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Electronic mail software
- Office suite software
- Spreadsheet software
- Presentation software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 127,900
- Job openings each year
- 14,090
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 15.4%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 127,900 | 14,090 | 15.4% |
| Florida | 80,740 | 8,870 | 14.7% |
| Texas | 66,110 | 7,300 | 16.3% |
| Michigan | 27,350 | 2,890 | 4.5% |
| Ohio | 26,930 | 2,830 | 2.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 26,440 | 2,810 | 5.7% |
| North Carolina | 22,730 | 2,500 | 15.4% |
| Tennessee | 21,600 | 2,400 | 18.3% |
| Illinois | 19,650 | 2,060 | 2.2% |
| Arizona | 19,600 | 2,220 | 25.4% |
| Oregon | 17,980 | 1,970 | 14.2% |
| Kentucky | 16,470 | 1,760 | 6.5% |
| Minnesota | 15,180 | 1,610 | 5.1% |
| Maryland | 14,050 | 1,510 | 8.9% |
| Virginia | 13,810 | 1,510 | 12.7% |
| Indiana | 12,840 | 1,370 | 6.1% |
| Georgia | 12,660 | 1,390 | 14.0% |
| Missouri | 12,650 | 1,350 | 7.1% |
| Colorado | 11,330 | 1,250 | 15.1% |
| Washington | 10,450 | 1,280 | 14.5% |
| Oklahoma | 10,130 | 1,070 | 5.1% |
| South Carolina | 10,120 | 1,110 | 14.5% |
| New Jersey | 8,940 | 950 | 6.6% |
| Iowa | 8,570 | 940 | 14.6% |
| Puerto Rico | 8,440 | 930 | 15.5% |
| Massachusetts | 7,230 | 780 | 7.7% |
| Utah | 6,860 | 790 | 32.2% |
| Kansas | 6,480 | 690 | 5.9% |
| Delaware | 6,000 | 650 | 12.8% |
| Alabama | 5,750 | 620 | 10.4% |
| Wisconsin | 5,710 | 610 | 7.5% |
| Connecticut | 5,510 | 590 | 7.2% |
| Montana | 5,510 | 610 | 16.5% |
| Nebraska | 4,550 | 490 | 8.9% |
| New Hampshire | 4,100 | 440 | 7.6% |
| Mississippi | 4,080 | 430 | 4.9% |
| New Mexico | 3,750 | 420 | 23.0% |
| Nevada | 3,680 | 400 | 9.9% |
| Maine | 2,570 | 270 | — |
| Vermont | 2,300 | 240 | 3.6% |
| District of Columbia | 2,010 | 220 | 8.1% |
| Louisiana | 1,960 | 210 | 5.9% |
| Rhode Island | 1,850 | 200 | 4.5% |
| West Virginia | 1,830 | 190 | 5.2% |
| Arkansas | 1,660 | 180 | 10.7% |
| Alaska | 1,280 | 140 | 10.3% |
| Idaho | 1,200 | 130 | 21.2% |
| Wyoming | 1,180 | 130 | 10.3% |
| North Dakota | 880 | 100 | 10.0% |
| Guam | 310 | 40 | 14.8% |
| South Dakota | 160 | 20 | 14.3% |
| Virgin Islands | 100 | 10 | −9.1% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 1,116
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 1,064
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
University of Central Florida
- Degrees each year
- 333
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Degrees each year
- 263
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
University of Maryland Global Campus
- Degrees each year
- 221
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- —
CUNY Lehman College
- Degrees each year
- 197
- Admit rate
- 55%
- Annual cost after aid
- $7,000
Florida International University
- Degrees each year
- 180
- Admit rate
- 59%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
California State University-Long Beach
- Degrees each year
- 146
- Admit rate
- 47%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Compare every college offering health and medical administrative services