Doctor's Office Secretary Education Requirements and Career Info

Doctor's office secretaries attend to the needs of patients who are waiting to see physicians. Their duties typically include answering phone calls, handling medical records, scheduling appointments and greeting patients.

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Educational Requirements for a Doctor's Office Secretary

Most employers seek entry-level doctor's office secretaries with at least a high school diploma or GED, as well as basic computer skills, including typing, database operation and spreadsheet creation. Typically, employers don't require a college degree, but some may prefer candidates who have completed some courses in medical documentation or a certificate program for medical secretaries. These programs generally include courses in anatomy and medical terminology, in addition to basic computer, communication and health care management classes.

Career Information for Doctor's Office Secretaries

Job Duties

Secretaries often handle all of the administrative duties of a doctor's office. This might include updating patient records, attending to patients when they arrive to see a doctor, sending samples to labs and communicating with labs to receive test results in a timely fashion. They also typically maintain a doctor's appointment book and ensure that the office is stocked with supplies and running efficiently. Doctor's office secretaries must be highly organized, exhibit excellent communication skills and be able to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously.

Career Advancement

Doctor's office secretaries may be able to advance in their positions and earn higher salaries by demonstrating keen skills and obtaining professional experience. In offices that employ multiple secretaries, experienced employees might be promoted to positions in which they supervise or manage other secretaries and office staff. Advancement to managerial positions might require additional education.

Career Outlook

Hard working and skilled office staff are nearly always in demand in the medical field. With many secretaries advancing to managerial positions or returning to school for anticipated career changes, there is a high amount of turnover, and many positions are available at any given time. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted that job opportunities for doctor's office secretaries would increase 27 percent between 2008 and 2018 (www.bls.gov). Doctor's office secretaries earned a median yearly salary of nearly $30,000 in May 2008, according to BLS figures.

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