Medical Secretary Hourly Rate

A medical secretary is an essential role within the healthcare field. While no college education is required, most employers require a minimum of a high school diploma or GED to become employed as a medical secretary. The roles of a medical secretary are expansive: They may include filling the role of a personal secretary for the employing physician, handling appointment scheduling, personal errands and coordinating travel arrangements for him or her. The medical secretary may also be required to transcribe dictations from physicians verbatim for medical records. Medical secretaries frequently work with multi-line phones, answer customer questions, transfer calls as appropriate to the correct staff, and take and return messages when needed. Medical secretaries organize the office records and paperwork, serve administrative roles, and may also be involved with office budgeting and accounting, as well as record keeping and reporting. Medical secretaries often create agendas and schedules for the office and organize committee and board meetings. They will also book patient appointments and complete check-ins and checkouts for patient appointments. Medical secretaries must be familiar with HIPAA laws, as they deal directly with protected patient medical information such as medical charts and records. An ideal medical secretary must also be skilled with basic computer programs as most medical office records are electronic based. Medical secretaries generally work 8:00am-5:00pm Monday through Friday, and are employed in a wide variety of settings, including healthcare clinics, physician offices, nursing homes, and hospitals.

Medical Secretary Tasks