Professional Secretary Job Duties, Salary Info and Career Options
Professional secretaries ensure that office operations run smoothly and efficiently. On a typical day, a professional secretary may schedule meetings, organize files and manage databases. Professional secretaries can work in many environments, including school and corporate offices.
Job Duties of Professional Secretaries
Professional secretaries, also known as administrative assistants or executive assistants, assist executives, administrators and other office workers. They have both information management and clerical duties. Specific job tasks include maintaining databases, composing correspondence and organizing meetings and conference calls.
Professional secretaries may work in a specific industry. For example, medical secretaries perform medical transcription, manage patient files, compose correspondence and assist in writing medical reports. Legal secretaries prepare subpoenas, motions, appeals and other legal documents. Legal secretaries are often supervised by lawyers and paralegals.
Salary Information for Professional Secretaries
Most positions for professional secretaries are hourly rather than salaried. However, full-time professional secretaries usually receive benefits and leave. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), professional secretaries made anywhere from less than $27,030 to more than $62,070 annually in 2008. According to PayScale.com, legal secretaries earned between $30,011 and $60,766 in 2010. Medical secretaries earned between $15,000 and $42,989 annually. Professional secretaries who are certified, earn between $34,817 and $54,104 annually. Certification is offered through the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) and other organizations.
Career Options for Professional Secretaries
Professional secretaries often find employment in corporate offices, schools, hospitals, government agencies, legal offices and home offices. Professional secretaries who offer freelance secretarial services from a home office are called virtual assistants.
Professional secretaries with advanced training or certification can become office managers, senior executive assistants or senior administrative assistants. With additional training, medical secretaries can become medical practice managers. Legal secretaries often go on to become paralegals.
Related to Professional Secretary
- Related
- Recently Updated
- Popular
Professional Secretaries: Job Description and Employment Info for a Professional Secretary Career
If you are looking to begin a career as a Professional Secretary, some post-secondary education will be beneficial....
Secretary: Occupational Outlook and Job Profile of a Professional Secretary
Secretaries are administrative personnel who help keep offices running smoothly, organize meetings and perform...
Professional Secretary Degree and Certificate Program Information
Students interested in becoming professional secretaries can enroll in an associate's degree program in secretarial...
Online Certified Professional Secretary Courses and Certification Info
Online Certified Professional Secretary (CPS) training courses can be found as part of associate's degree programs at...
Professional Secretary: Online Diploma
- Online Medical Secretary Schools: How to Find and Choose
- Secretary Duncan Says Teachers Should Make Up to $150,000 a Year
- Recording Secretary: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
- Top University with an Information Technology Degree - Kansas City, MO
- Top Degrees for Educational Administration and Teaching - Kansas City, MO
- Top Health Care Administration Degree Programs - Los Angeles, CA
- Best School for Global Management and International Business Degrees - Houston, TX
- Press Secretary: Job Description, Salary and Career Outlook
- Executive Legal Secretary Training and Education Program Overviews
- Top Ranked School for Computer Information Systems - Colorado Springs, CO
- Top Ranked Legal Assisting and Paralegal School - Cleveland, OH
- Top Ranked Paralegal Studies Degree Program - Kansas City, MO
29 Popular Schools
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
- California (6 campuses)
- Colorado (1)
- Florida (10)
- Michigan (3)
- Missouri (2)
- Ohio (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Texas (2)
- Utah (1)
- Washington (2)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Bachelor
- Associate
-
Non-Degree
-
- Diploma in Administrative Assistant
-
- Diploma in Business Office Administration
-
-
School locations:
- Online Learning
- Arizona (3 campuses)
- California (16)
- Colorado (3)
- Florida (6)
- Georgia (4)
- Illinois (8)
- Indiana (2)
- Kentucky (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- New Jersey (3)
- Nevada (1)
- New York (2)
- Ohio (4)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (5)
- Tennessee (2)
- Texas (7)
- Utah (1)
- Virginia (3)
- Washington (3)
- Wisconsin (2)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Master
- Bachelor
- Associate
-
Non-Degree
-
- Certificate - Business Administration
-
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
- Alabama (2 campuses)
- Arkansas (1)
- Columbia (D.C.) (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (9)
- Georgia (8)
- Illinois (4)
- Indiana (1)
- Kentucky (3)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maryland (5)
- Minnesota (2)
- Missouri (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- North Carolina (5)
- New Jersey (4)
- Ohio (6)
- Pennsylvania (7)
- South Carolina (3)
- Tennessee (3)
- Texas (8)
- Utah (1)
- Virginia (11)
- Wisconsin (1)
- West Virginia (1)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Master
- Associate
-
Non-Degree
-
- Jack Welch Undergraduate Certificate in Becoming a Leader
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- All programs require applicants to have graduated high school in 2008 or earlier
- Must be 22 years of age or older
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be 21 years of age or older and have completed some college or 24 years of age or older and a high school graduate for a Bachelor's degree
- Masters degree applicants must have a Bachelors degree
- Doctorate degree applicants must have a Masters degree
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
-
Master
-
- Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) - General Program
-
- Bachelor
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
- Alabama (1 campus)
- Arkansas (2)
- Arizona (6)
- California (24)
- Colorado (3)
- Columbia (D.C.) (1)
- Florida (6)
- Georgia (5)
- Hawaii (2)
- Iowa (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (2)
- Nevada (2)
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- Tennessee (3)
- Texas (9)
- Utah (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Bachelor
-
Associate
-
- AA - Foundations of Business
- AA in Business Foundations
-
-
Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must have either two or more years of college or active military status if you are under 24 years of age
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
- Bachelor
