Administative Medical Clerk
Career One Stop Occupation Profile
Medical Secretaries
Description: what do they do?
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.
Also known as:
Patient Coordinator, Health Unit Coordinator, Physician Office Specialist, Medical Office Specialist, Admissions Coordinator, Unit Secretary, Medical Secretary, Billing Coordinator, Ward Clerk, Unit Support Representative
Career video
https://cdn.careeronestop.org/OccVids/OccupationVideos/43-6013.00.mp4
Transcript: Transcript for this video is not available
Outlook: will there be jobs?
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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Projected employment
| California | United States |
|---|---|
| 73,200 2014 Employment |
527,600 2014 Employment |
| 88,300 2024 Employment |
635,800 2024 Employment |
| 21% Percent change |
21% Percent change |
| 2,280 Annual projected job openings |
16,380 Annual projected job openings |
Compare projected employment
Typical wages
Annual wages for Medical Secretaries in California
| Location | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $25,700 | $23,220 |
| 25% | $30,820 | $27,710 |
| Median | $38,230 | $33,730 |
| 75% | $47,980 | $40,400 |
| 90% | $58,060 | $49,730 |
Education and experience: to get started
People starting in this career usually have:
- High school diploma or equivalent
- No work experience
- 1 to 12 months on-the-job training
Programs that can prepare you:
- Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary
- Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller
- Medical Office Assistant/Specialist
Typical education
How much education do most people in this career have?
Certifications: show your skills
Let employers know you have the skills to do well at this job.
Earning a certification can help you:
- Get a job
- Get a promotion
Find certifications
Licenses: do you need one?
Some states require an occupational license to work in this career.
Find license details for your state
Apprenticeships: learn on the job
Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job-training with classroom lessons.
Find apprenticeship sponsors
Activities: what you might do in a day
- Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
- Schedule appointments.
- Operate office equipment.
- Operate computers or computerized equipment.
- Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.
- Maintain medical records.
- Maintain financial or account records.
- Send information, materials or documentation.
- Refer customers to appropriate personnel.
- Collect deposits, payments or fees.
- Greet customers, patrons, or visitors.
- Compile data or documentation.
- 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.
Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about:
- 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.
- Computers and Electronics – Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- 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.
Skills
People in this career often have these skills:
- Speaking – Talking to others.
- Active Listening – Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
- Service Orientation – Looking for ways to help people.
Abilities
People in this career often have talent in:
- Oral Comprehension – Listening and understanding what people say.
- Oral Expression – Communicating by speaking.
- Speech Recognition – Recognizing spoken words.
- Speech Clarity – Speaking clearly.
- Written Comprehension – Reading and understanding what is written.
Related occupations
- Receptionists and Information Clerks
- Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
- Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
- License Clerks
- Office Clerks, General
- Bill and Account Collectors
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
- Insurance Claims Clerks
- Word Processors and Typists
This information was retrieved on 2/10/2018 at 8:25 PM Eastern Time from Occupation Profile at CareerOneStop (www.CareerOneStop.org), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. https://www.CareerOneStop.org/Toolkit
/Careers/Occupations/occupation-profile.aspx
Wage information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Program. (https://www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm)
Education information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections. (https://www.bls.gov/emp/)
Information on Occupational Description, Interests and Tasks comes from the Occupation Information Network. (https://www.onetonline.org/)