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Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Major

Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary

3,006 Associates's Degrees Annually
0 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
#15 in Popularity (Associate's)
$34,540 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many medical administrative/executive assistant & medical secretary graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Associate Degree 2,999
Basic Certificate 2,581
Undergraduate Certificate 2,001

What Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Majors

Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Majors

A major in medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • 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.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Majors

A major in medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Major?

People with a medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Medical Assistants 29.0% $33,610
Medical Secretaries 22.5% $35,760

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary?

2,999 Associate's Degrees Annually
97% Percent Women
59% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major is dominated by women with about 97% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 97
Black or African American 1,250
Hispanic or Latino 341
White 1,106
International Students 9
Other Races/Ethnicities 196

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary, too. About 0.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $34,540 to $37,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Major  ( 34540 to 37090 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
0K
250K

Some degrees associated with medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 24.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 42.3%
Some College Courses 25.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 9.8%

Online Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 179 30
Certificate (2-4 Years) 3 0
Associate’s Degree 190 46
Bachelor’s Degree 0 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 0 0
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary Worth It?

The median salary for a medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary grad is $34,540 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to medical administrative/executive assistant and medical secretary.

Major Number of Grads
Health Care Management 30,702
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder 10,541
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician 10,010
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller 9,004
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist 4,981
Hospital & Health Care Facilities Administration/Management 3,981
Medical Office Management/Administration 3,470
Health Information Management 2,942
Other Health & Medical Administrative Services 2,251
Medical/Health Management & Clinical Assistant/Specialist 1,257
Medical Reception/Receptionist 730
Clinical Research Coordinator 291
Long Term Care Administration/Management 221
Healthcare Innovation 193
Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant 118
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk 109
Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist 83
Regulatory Science/Affairs 73
Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician 25
Disease Registry Data Management 15
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor 11
Healthcare Information Privacy Assurance and Security 7
Health/Medical Claims Examiner 4

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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