Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Despite declining employment, about 316,000 openings for secretaries and administrative assistants are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Education: High school diploma or equivalent Details

Education Details

48%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

26%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

20%

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

Less than a High School Diploma

Some College Courses

Salary

High: $55,620.00

Average: $41,260.00

Hourly

Average: $19.84

Summary of What 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.

Responsibilities

Schedule appointments.

Compile data or documentation.

Maintain medical records.

Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.

Relay information between personnel.

Refer customers to appropriate personnel.

Greet customers, patrons, or visitors.

Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.

Maintain medical records.

Operate office equipment.

Operate computers or computerized equipment.

Send information, materials or documentation.

Order materials, supplies, or equipment.

Arrange services or reservations for patrons.

Transcribe spoken or written information.

Maintain medical records.

Maintain financial or account records.

Send information, materials or documentation.

Collect deposits, payments or fees.

Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.

Prepare business correspondence.

What Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Do

Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. They arrange files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.

Duties

Secretaries and administrative assistants maintain databases and filing systems.

Secretaries and administrative assistants typically do the following:

Answer telephones and take messages or transfer calls
Schedule appointments and update event calendars
Arrange staff meetings
Handle incoming and outgoing mail and faxes
Prepare memos, invoices, or reports
Edit documents
Maintain databases and filing systems
Perform basic bookkeeping

Secretaries and administrative assistants help an organization run efficiently. They use computer software to create spreadsheets; manage databases; and prepare presentations, reports, and documents. They also may negotiate with vendors, buy supplies, and manage stockrooms or corporate libraries. Secretaries and administrative assistants also use videoconferencing and other office equipment. Specific job duties vary by experience, job title, and specialty.

The following are examples of types of secretaries and administrative assistants:

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants provide high-level support for an office and for top executives of an organization. They often handle complex responsibilities, such as reviewing incoming documents, conducting research, and preparing reports. Some also supervise clerical staff.

Legal secretaries and administrative assistants must have knowledge of legal terminology and procedures. They prepare summonses, complaints, motions, subpoenas, and other legal documents under the supervision of an attorney or a paralegal. They also review legal journals and help with legal research—for example, by verifying quotes and citations in legal briefs.

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants 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 and administrative assistants need to be familiar with medical terminology and codes, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive form the largest subcategory of secretaries and administrative assistants. They handle administrative activities for offices in almost every sector of the economy, including schools, government, and private corporations. For example, secretaries in schools are often responsible for most of the communications among parents, students, the community, teachers, and school administrators. They schedule appointments, receive visitors, and keep track of student records.

Important Qualities

Decision-making skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants often prioritize tasks and make decisions on their employers’ behalf, so good judgment is essential.

Interpersonal skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff. They should communicate effectively and be courteous when interacting with others.

Organizational skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently.

Writing skills. Secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers. Therefore, they must have good grammar, ensure accuracy, and maintain a professional tone.

Tasks On The Job

Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
Arrange hospital admissions for patients.
Compile and record medical charts, reports, or correspondence, using typewriter or personal computer.
Complete insurance or other claim forms.
Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.
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.
Prepare correspondence or assist physicians or medical scientists with preparation of reports, speeches, articles, or conference proceedings.
Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
Schedule tests or procedures for patients, such as lab work or x-rays, based on physician orders.
Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records.
Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.

PERSONALITY

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		CAREER CHARACTERISTICS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	93%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	92%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	92%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	89%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	82%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	80%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	62%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Your Assessment Results		IMPORTANT STRENGTHS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		100%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		56%	Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Your Assessment Results		WORK VALUES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		72%	Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		56%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

APTITUDES

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		ABILITIES \| SKILLS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	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).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Your Assessment Results		TASKS \| ACTIVITIES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	87%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	84%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	82%	Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	58%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.

Your Assessment Results		CONTEXT \| ATTRIBUTES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	98%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	96%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	96%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	93%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	90%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	90%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	88%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	85%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Exposed to Disease or Infections - How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	51%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?

Work Environment

Secretaries and administrative assistants usually work in offices.

Secretaries and administrative assistants held about 3.4 million jobs in 2022. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up secretaries and administrative assistants was distributed as follows:

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	2,030,200
Medical secretaries and administrative assistants	696,600
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants	511,100
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants	161,400

The largest employers of secretaries and administrative assistants were as follows:

Healthcare and social assistance	26%
Educational services; state, local, and private	15
Professional, scientific, and technical services	12
Government	8
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	5

Secretaries and administrative assistants work in nearly every industry.

Most secretaries and administrative assistants work in offices. Some administrative assistants work out of their own homes as virtual assistants.

Work Schedules

Most secretaries and administrative assistants work full time.

Getting Started

How to Become a Secretary or Administrative Assistant

Secretaries and administrative assistants may seek training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.

High school graduates who are comfortable using word processing and spreadsheet programs typically qualify for entry-level positions. Although workers typically learn their duties over several weeks on the job, legal and medical secretaries and administrative assistants may need additional training to learn industry-specific terminology. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically need several years of related work experience.

Education

Some community colleges and technical schools offer courses or programs in a variety of secretarial and administrative assistance fields. For example, courses or programs in office procedures focus on working in a business setting; those in industry-specific terminology and practices prepare students for jobs as medical and legal secretaries. Temporary placement agencies also may provide training in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.

A bachelor's degree typically is not required to become a secretary or administrative assistant. However, some of these workers have a degree in a field such as business, education, or communications. Employers may prefer to hire candidates for executive secretary and executive administrative assistant positions who have taken some college courses or have a bachelor’s degree.

Training

Secretaries and administrative assistants typically learn their skills through on-the-job training that lasts a few weeks. During this time, they learn about administrative procedures, including how to prepare documents. Medical and legal secretaries and administrative assistants may train for several months as they learn industry-specific terminology and practices.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants typically need several years of work experience in other administrative positions, such as secretaries and general office clerks.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about careers in secretarial and administrative work, visit

American Society of Administrative Professionals

The Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals

Executive Support Magazine

International Association of Administrative Professionals

For more information about legal secretaries and administrative assistants, visit

NALS

For more information about virtual assistants, visit

International Virtual Assistants Association

Occupational Requirements Survey

For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants (PDF)

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants (PDF)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical, and executive) (PDF)

Similar Occupations

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of secretaries and administrative assistants.

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks produce financial records for organizations and check financial records for accuracy.	Some college, no degree	$45,860
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners	Court reporters create word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings. Simultaneous captioners provide similar transcriptions for television or for presentations in other settings, such as press conferences and business meetings, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$63,560
General Office Clerks	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	High school diploma or equivalent	$38,040
Information Clerks	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties, maintain records, collect data, and provide information to customers.	See How to Become One	$38,710
Medical Records Specialists	Medical records specialists compile, process, and maintain patient files.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$47,180
Medical Transcriptionists	Medical transcriptionists use electronic devices to convert voice recordings from physicians and other healthcare workers into formal reports.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$34,730
Paralegals and Legal Assistants	Paralegals and legal assistants perform a variety of tasks to support lawyers.	Associate's degree	$59,200
Receptionists	Receptionists do tasks such as answering phones, receiving visitors, and providing information about their organization to the public.	High school diploma or equivalent	$33,960
Financial Clerks	Financial clerks do administrative work, help customers, and carry out transactions that involve money.	High school diploma or equivalent	$45,570
Travel Agents	Travel agents sell transportation, lodging, and entertainment activities to individuals and groups planning trips.	High school diploma or equivalent	$46,400