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Medical Secretary

$45,930
median / year
$35,930 – $60,530
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Schedule appointments, manage patient records, and handle billing and correspondence for medical offices.

You may also see this posted as: Medical Receptionist, Unit Clerk, Unit Support Representative, Clinic Office Assistant, Front Desk Receptionist, Medical Office Specialist.

Where you work

Clinics, hospitals, and medical offices

The hours

Regular weekday hours

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • 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.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

O*NET job zone 2 of 5

Some preparation—often a high school credential and on-the-job learning—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityCooperationIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Henry Schein DentrixMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareeClinicalWorks EHR softwareEpic SystemsGoogle Docs

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$45,930
per year
Hourly median
$22.08
per hour
What most earn
$35,930–$60,530
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~85,900
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+4.2%
About average
Working in the U.S.
961,610
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 0% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: Moderate on-the-job training, paid.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

OrganizationMedical terminologyCommunicationAttention to detail

The honest take

A stable office role inside health care, with paid training and room to grow into billing or admin work.

Standard Occupational Classification 43-6013. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.