Medical Secretary

Career Overview

Medical secretaries transcribe dictation and prepare reports or articles for physicians or medical scientists. They also take simple medical histories of patients, arrange for patients to be hospitalized, or process insurance payments. Medical secretaries need to be familiar with medical terminology and codes, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

Education

High school graduates who have experience using computer software applications usually qualify for entry-level positions. Although most secretaries learn their job in several weeks, many legal and medical secretaries require additional training to learn industry-specific terminology.

Future Outlook

Employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to decline 7 percent from 2018 to 2028. Most job openings will result from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation.

Work Environment

Medical secretaries typically work in hospitals, medical offices, and insurance offices.

Recommended High School Courses

Psychology
Writing
Communication

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.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
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.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Schedule appointments.
Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
Operate computers or computerized equipment.
Operate office equipment.
Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.
Maintain medical records.
Send information, materials or documentation.
Compile data or documentation.
Greet customers, patrons, or visitors.
Refer customers to appropriate personnel.
Collect deposits, payments or fees.
Maintain financial or account records.
Relay information between personnel.
Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.
Transcribe spoken or written information.
Prepare business correspondence.
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.

Schools

Arlington Career Institut...

Atlantic Technical Colleg...

Berkeley College Online

Berkeley College- Nyc Mid...

Bismarck State College

Bryan University

Carrington College- Albuq...

Carrington College- Glend...

Carrington College- Las V...

Carrington College- Mesa...

Carrington College- Phoen...

Carrington College- Pleas...

Carrington College- Portl...

Carrington College- Sacra...

Carrington College- San J...

Carrington College- San L...

Carrington College- Spoka...

Carrington College- Stock...

Carrington College- Tucso...

College Of Business And T...

Colorado Christian Univer...

Cook Inlet Tribal Council

Daytona College

Everett Community College

Gateway Community College...

Herzing University- Akron...

Herzing University- Atlan...

Herzing University- Kenos...

Herzing University- Minne...

Herzing University- New O...

Herzing University- Onlin...

Jefferson State Community...

Keiser University- Fort L...

Kodiak College

Liberty University

Miller-motte College- Fay...

Miller-motte College- Jac...

Miller-motte College- Onl...

Miller-motte College- Wil...

Miller-motte Technical Co...

Northeast Wisconsin Techn...

Palm Beach State College-...

Penn Foster Career School

Plaza College

San Joaquin Valley Colleg...

Suny Schenectady County C...

Thomas Nelson Community C...

Trident University Intern...

University Of Alaska Sout...

Vista College- El Paso Ca...

Wake Technical Community...

Washburn University- Inst...

Academy Of Learning- H...

Academy Of Learning- R...

Bow Valley College- Ba...

Bow Valley College- Co...

Bow Valley College- St...

Canadian College Of He...

Cdi College- Longueuil...

College Of New Caledon...

Douglas College- Coqui...

Douglas College- New W...

Norquest College

Professional Career De...

Vancouver Career Colle...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$24,690.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$35,760.00 /yr

High End:

$64,230.00 /yr

Related Careers

Medical Laboratory Technician

Phlebotomist

Applied Genomics Researcher

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.