Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Office & Administrative
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-6013
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

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

Tools and technology

Epic Systems, Google Docs, Henry Schein Dentrix, Intuit QuickBooks, MEDITECH software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Receptionists and Information Clerks
• Medical Records Specialists
• Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
• Office Clerks, General
• Medical Assistants
• Patient Representatives
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
• Medical Transcriptionists

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.