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Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington

Considering working as a Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington? Here’s what you need to know. 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.

$56,920 Median Annual Wage (Washington)

$61,212 National Median Annual Wage

11,650 Washington Employment

Some Preparation Needed Typical Preparation

What do Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Make in Washington?

The medical secretaries and administrative assistants working in Washington, the typical annual salary is $56,920 per year (or about $27.37/hour).Earnings range from $45,250 at the 10th percentile to $70,550 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$45,250	$21.76
25th percentile	$48,900	$23.51
Median (50th)	$56,920	$27.37
75th percentile	$61,810	$29.72
90th percentile	$70,550	$33.92

Salary ranges for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in Washington

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Washington nationwide is 0.61, suggesting fewer medical secretaries and administrative assistants per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, medical secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median of $61,212 per year ($29.43/hour), lower than the Washington median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 1,240,329 medical secretaries and administrative assistants in the U.S.. In Washington alone, about 11,650 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 8,150 medical secretaries and administrative assistants.

Forecasted number of jobs for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Top Washington Metros for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

These are the Washington metros with the most medical secretaries and administrative assistants in Washington.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	7,110	$60,470
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	1,060	$49,250
Kennewick-Richland, WA	370	$48,660
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	330	$51,480
Yakima, WA	320	$46,820
Bellingham, WA	230	$57,360
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	210	$53,850
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	170	$49,380
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	170	$47,270
Longview-Kelso, WA	100	$49,310
Walla Walla, WA	80	$47,140

Top States for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Employment

These states have the highest employment of medical secretaries and administrative assistants work.

State	Number Employed
California	116,890
Florida	80,430
Texas	72,810
North Carolina	45,540
New York	34,170
Tennessee	31,780
Ohio	29,970
Michigan	27,440
Pennsylvania	26,270
Illinois	24,150
Massachusetts	22,110
Virginia	20,860
Kentucky	20,550
Indiana	19,460
Georgia	18,180
New Jersey	17,710
Arizona	16,650
Minnesota	16,240
Oregon	15,530
Alabama	14,900

Highest-Paying States for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Where medical secretaries and administrative assistants earn the most: medical secretaries and administrative assistants.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$56,920
California	$52,720
Massachusetts	$50,190
Oregon	$49,570
Minnesota	$48,820
Connecticut	$48,720
Hawaii	$48,620
Alaska	$48,160
New York	$48,090
Rhode Island	$47,540

Skills

The most important medical secretaries and administrative assistants skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking 4.0 / 5

Active Listening 3.9 / 5

Service Orientation 3.6 / 5

Reading Comprehension 3.5 / 5

Writing 3.1 / 5

Coordination 3.1 / 5

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Customer and Personal Service 4.4 / 5

English Language 4.3 / 5

Administrative 3.9 / 5

Medicine and Dentistry 3.6 / 5

Personnel and Human Resources 3.4 / 5

Computers and Electronics 3.4 / 5

Abilities

Top abilities for medical secretaries and administrative assistants, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Oral Comprehension 4.0 / 5

Oral Expression 4.0 / 5

Written Comprehension 4.0 / 5

Speech Clarity 3.8 / 5

Speech Recognition 3.8 / 5

Near Vision 3.4 / 5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, medical secretaries and administrative assistants typically:

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.
Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
Operate office equipment, such as voice mail messaging systems, and use word processing, spreadsheet, or other software applications to prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, letters, case histories, or medical records.
Perform bookkeeping duties, such as credits or collections, preparing and sending financial statements or bills, and keeping financial records.
Perform various clerical or administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies.
Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records.

Work Activities

Working with Computers
Processing Information
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Getting Information
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Performing Administrative Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
Documenting/Recording Information
Scheduling Work and Activities
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: eClinicalWorks EHR software, Epic Systems In-demand technologies: Henry Schein Dentrix

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

Health/Medical Admin Services

Careers similar to medical secretaries and administrative assistants include:

Also Known As

Administrative Support Specialist, Appointment Scheduler, Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMMA), Client Service Coordinator, Clinic Office Assistant, Clinic Receptionist, Dental Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Front Office Coordinator, Dental Office Receptionist, Dental Receptionist, Dental Secretary, Front Desk Agent, Front Desk Receptionist, Guest Service Representative, Hospital Admissions Clerk.

References

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
O*NET-SOC code: 43-6013.00

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