Medical Secretaries

At a Glance

Median Salary
$34,466

Local Jobs
1,232

Entry-Level Education
Certification

Occupation Profile

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.

By The Numbers

Median Annual Earnings

$34,466

Median Annual Earnings are the midpoint earned by 50 percent of workers who are the lowest paid and 50 percent of workers who are the highest paid in a particular occupation

Local Jobs

1,232

Jobs are any position in which a worker provides labor in exchange for monetary compensation (note: one individual may hold multiple jobs)

Entry-Level Education

Certification

This is the most common education level requested in entry-level job listings.

Daily Tasks

Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
Complete insurance or other claim forms.
Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.
Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
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.

Occupational Skills

What skills are necessary for Medical Secretaries?

Hard Skills

Billing
Copayment Collection And Processing
Data Entry
Electronic Medical Record
Front Office
Medical Office Procedures
Medical Records
Medical Terminology
Office Equipment
Setting Appointments

Soft Skills

Clerical Works
Communications
Computer Literacy
Customer Service
Detail Oriented
Filing
Multilingualism
Multitasking
Organizational Skills
Scheduling

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry- or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education. They are essential in many industries and occupations.

Education Programs

Del Mar College