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Medical Secretaries


At a Glance

  • Work in medical offices
  • Spend a great deal of time transcribing dictation
  • Are heavy computer users
  • Work with doctors and patients
  • May work part time or full time
  • Train on the job

Career summary

Medical secretaries perform clerical duties in health care facilities.

Medical secretaries who work in hospitals may be called unit clerks or secretaries.

Medical secretaries answer phones, schedule patients, and greet people who come into the office. They prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, and letters.

Some medical secretaries transcribe recordings of doctor's notes into patient's medical record. Secretaries must understand medical terminology.

Medical secretaries can also take simple medical histories. They talk to patients, gather information, and record it in the patient's chart.

Many medical secretaries have billing and scheduling duties. They may bill insurance companies and prepare bills for patients. If a patient needs to be hospitalized, medical secretaries make arrangements for admission. They also arrange to refer a patient to another health care provider.

They keep track of and order supplies. Secretaries often organize and store all medical files on the computer.

Related careers

This career is part of the Health Science cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to medical secretaries.

Common work activities

Medical secretaries perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, medical secretaries:

Interpersonal relationships

Physical work conditions

Work performance

Hours/travel

Physical demands

Medical secretaries frequently:

It is important for medical secretaries to be able to:

It is not as important, but still necessary, for medical secretaries to be able to:

Skills and abilities

Medical secretaries need to:

Communicate

Reason and problem solve

Manage oneself, people, time, and things

Work with people

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study directly related to this occupation

Other programs of study to consider

Training

To work as a medical secretary, you typically need to:

Education after high school

You must have at least a high school diploma to become a medical secretary. Some medical secretaries have some formal training beyond high school. Professional-technical schools and community colleges offer one- and two-year programs. In general, you receive a certificate when you complete the one-year program. You get an associate degree when you complete the two-year program.

You need basic office skills such as accounting, word processing, filing, and recordkeeping. In addition you need excellent spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You also need to know medical terminology and stenography.

Work experience

Some people prepare for this occupation through work experience. You can work your way up through clerical jobs at medical offices, learning new skills at each one. Eventually, you have enough knowledge to move into a secretarial position.

On-the-job training

Most medical secretaries learn their skills on the job. You may work under the guidance of an experienced medical secretary. You work independently and on more difficult tasks as you gain knowledge and experience. Training generally lasts a few months.

Because of the fast changing nature of this field, employers may offer training in the newest office technologies and software.

Helpful high school courses

In high school, take classes that prepare you for college. A college preparatory curriculum may be different from your state's graduation requirements.

You should also consider taking some advanced courses in high school. This includes Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses if they are available in your school. If you do well in these courses, you may receive college credit for them. Advanced courses can also strengthen your college application.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Many employers prefer medical secretaries who have had specialized training or experience in a medical field. In addition, most employers require knowledge of word processing and database management programs. Employers look for applicants who are good at keyboarding. They also look for people who have good spelling and grammar skills. Employers prefer applicants who have good people skills. Good judgment and organizational ability are also helpful.

Tips

Volunteer experience can be helpful. Courses in medical terminology are essential. AIDS training is important. Take continuing education classes to keep up to date on new procedures and other changes in the field.

Costs to workers

Workers may have to purchase uniforms. Other costs may include dues in a professional association, tuition for classes, continuing education, or seminars to keep up with changes in the field, and reference books.

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website (external link).

Wages

Medical secretaries (SOC 43-6013)

Location
Pay Period
10%
25%
Median
75%
90%
Washington Hourly $15.30 $17.04 $19.87 $23.53 $27.33
Monthly $2,651 $2,953 $3,443 $4,078 $4,736
Yearly $31,830 $35,440 $41,320 $48,940 $56,850
    Bellingham Hourly $13.86 $15.61 $18.02 $20.65 $23.78
Monthly $2,402 $2,705 $3,123 $3,579 $4,121
Yearly $28,819 $32,462 $37,473 $42,953 $49,469
    Bremerton-Silverdale Hourly $13.72 $15.98 $20.25 $23.60 $27.15
Monthly $2,378 $2,769 $3,509 $4,090 $4,705
Yearly $28,531 $33,245 $42,122 $49,096 $56,473
    Clarkston-Lewiston Hourly $15.30 $16.49 $18.09 $19.82 $36.42
Monthly $2,651 $2,858 $3,135 $3,435 $6,312
Yearly $31,838 $34,311 $37,631 $41,230 $75,767
    Kennewick-Richland Hourly $12.80 $14.07 $16.36 $20.10 $23.34
Monthly $2,218 $2,438 $2,835 $3,483 $4,045
Yearly $26,634 $29,265 $34,021 $41,792 $48,545
    Longview Hourly $17.50 $20.22 $22.56 $24.97 $28.71
Monthly $3,033 $3,504 $3,910 $4,327 $4,975
Yearly $36,408 $42,061 $46,933 $51,949 $59,725
    Mount Vernon-Anacortes Hourly $15.70 $16.92 $18.93 $22.06 $24.36
Monthly $2,721 $2,932 $3,281 $3,823 $4,222
Yearly $32,669 $35,194 $39,373 $45,890 $50,660
    Olympia-Tumwater Hourly $15.53 $16.97 $19.12 $22.67 $25.42
Monthly $2,691 $2,941 $3,313 $3,929 $4,405
Yearly $32,301 $35,305 $39,784 $47,139 $52,872
    Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Hourly $16.73 $18.90 $22.14 $25.57 $29.61
Monthly $2,899 $3,275 $3,837 $4,431 $5,131
Yearly $34,795 $39,315 $46,072 $53,166 $61,593
    Spokane-Spokane Valley Hourly $15.09 $16.81 $19.02 $22.34 $24.76
Monthly $2,615 $2,913 $3,296 $3,872 $4,291
Yearly $31,372 $34,964 $39,569 $46,474 $51,504
    Vancouver Hourly $15.18 $17.19 $20.22 $24.60 $29.05
Monthly $2,631 $2,979 $3,504 $4,263 $5,034
Yearly $31,572 $35,752 $42,050 $51,172 $60,417
    Walla Walla Hourly $15.60 $16.74 $18.59 $21.70 $25.63
Monthly $2,703 $2,901 $3,222 $3,761 $4,442
Yearly $32,452 $34,812 $38,676 $45,157 $53,299
    Wenatchee Hourly $15.47 $16.73 $18.56 $21.13 $23.79
Monthly $2,681 $2,899 $3,216 $3,662 $4,123
Yearly $32,168 $34,790 $38,609 $43,956 $49,500
    Yakima Hourly $14.25 $15.95 $17.57 $19.16 $22.22
Monthly $2,470 $2,764 $3,045 $3,320 $3,851
Yearly $29,637 $33,181 $36,533 $39,853 $46,206
United States Hourly $12.21 $14.22 $17.19 $20.77 $24.95
Monthly $2,116 $2,464 $2,979 $3,599 $4,324
Yearly $25,390 $29,580 $35,760 $43,200 $51,890

Wages vary widely depending on the medical secretary's skill, experience, and level of education. Wages also vary by area of the country. Wages also vary by employer.

Benefits also vary. Most full-time medical secretaries receive typical benefits. These include paid vacation, sick leave, and health insurance. Many part-time medical secretaries do not receive benefits.

Employment and outlook

Washington outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

Medical Secretaries (SOC 43-6013)

Location Current employment Growth over 10 years Annual openings
This
occupation
All
occupations
Washington 8,382 22.8% 16.1% 1,375
    Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties 324 27.8% 13.4% 57
    Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman Counties 186 19.4% 8.6% 29
    Benton and Franklin Counties 322 33.9% 15.0% 62
    Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap Counties 228 26.3% 11.9% 40
    Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum Counties 553 22.6% 15.2% 90
    Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston Counties 377 23.3% 14.1% 62
    Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties 571 22.9% 14.6% 94
    King County 3,263 23.4% 19.6% 539
    Kittitas, Klickitat, Skamania, and Yakima Counties 307 16.0% 13.8% 45
    Pierce County 784 26.9% 15.2% 137
    Snohomish County 625 24.5% 12.4% 105
    Spokane County 845 18.0% 13.9% 127
United States 601,700 16.0% 5.2% 82,400

National employment

About half of all medical secretaries work in doctors' and dentists' offices.

Major employers:

National outlook

Demand for this occupation will significantly increase. More people have access to health care and will be seeking services. Also the increase in the aging population means more people will seek medical care. This increases the demand for medical secretaries. Automation may slow some of the growth. Medical assistants are doing some of the duties once done by secretaries.

Job prospects will remain excellent. Job prospects are best for those with formal training and experience.

Other resources

Health Occupation Students of America (external link)
548 Silicon Drive, Suite 101
Southlake, TX 76092
800.321.HOSA
Professional Association of Healthcare Office Management (external link)
1576 Bella Cruz Drive, Suite 360
Lady Lake, FL 32159

References

Career cluster

Career path

O*Net (external link) occupation

O*Net job zone (external link)

DOT occupation

Holland occupational clusters

COPSystem