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What Does it Take to Be a Medical Secretary?

Job Description & Duties 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.

A Day in the Life of a Medical Secretary

  • Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
  • Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records.
  • Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
  • Perform various clerical or administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies.
  • Compile and record medical charts, reports, or correspondence, using typewriter or personal computer.
  • Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.

Things a Medical Secretary Should Know How to Do

Medical Secretaries state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Other Medical Secretary Job Titles

  • Medical Billing Coder
  • Medical Biller/Coder
  • Medical Billing Specialist
  • Health Unit Coordinator
  • Front Office Coordinator

Medical Secretary Job Outlook

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 574,200 jobs in the United States for Medical Secretary. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 22.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 129,000 new jobs for Medical Secretary by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 80,800 job openings in this field each year.

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The states with the most job growth for Medical Secretary are Arizona, Utah, and Texas. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, Mississippi, or Illinois. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for a Medical Secretary

The typical yearly salary for Medical Secretaries is somewhere between $25,390 and $51,890.

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Medical Secretaries who work in District of Columbia, Minnesota, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.

How much do Medical Secretaries make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $34,050
Alaska $40,820
Arizona $36,110
Arkansas $32,380
California $42,900
Colorado $38,890
Connecticut $42,270
Delaware $37,110
District of Columbia $50,370
Florida $33,520
Georgia $35,060
Hawaii $42,010
Idaho $34,270
Illinois $36,320
Indiana $35,030
Iowa $35,860
Kansas $34,280
Kentucky $32,220
Louisiana $30,660
Maine $34,390
Maryland $39,200
Massachusetts $43,450
Michigan $35,370
Minnesota $42,750
Mississippi $30,760
Missouri $34,270
Montana $32,540
Nebraska $34,160
Nevada $37,440
New Hampshire $40,200
New Jersey $42,670
New Mexico $32,680
New York $40,850
North Carolina $33,790
North Dakota $37,790
Ohio $34,450
Oklahoma $32,080
Oregon $40,000
Pennsylvania $35,550
Rhode Island $38,160
South Carolina $35,250
South Dakota $35,380
Tennessee $32,720
Texas $34,150
Utah $33,090
Vermont $39,440
Virginia $37,940
Washington $42,680
West Virginia $30,270
Wisconsin $35,830
Wyoming $34,760

Tools & Technologies Used by Medical Secretaries

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Medical Secretaries may use on a daily basis:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Web browser software
  • Microsoft Access
  • Data entry software
  • Email software
  • Word processing software
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Database software
  • Microsoft Publisher
  • Google Docs
  • Intuit QuickBooks
  • MEDITECH software
  • Scheduling software
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Graphics software

Becoming a Medical Secretary

What education or degrees do I need to become a Medical Secretary?

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Medical Secretary?

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Where Medical Secretaries Work

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The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

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References:

Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla via Public domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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