JobAfterNext

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

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.

Wages

Median annual wage, U.S.$45,930
Employment, U.S.961,610
Median hourly wage$22.08
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$35,930$38,570$45,930$50,580$60,530
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama16,580$36,9301.27
Alaska2,520$47,8701.25
Arizona18,090$45,8200.90
Arkansas2,190$37,0000.27
California115,050$54,4901.02
Colorado11,560$46,9200.65
Connecticut6,480$48,5000.62
Delaware4,510$44,5001.51
District of Columbia1,930$49,1800.44
Florida96,000$41,7301.56
Georgia39,380$43,1601.30
Hawaii2,160$49,9200.56
Idaho5,120$44,9200.97
Illinois27,560$46,6700.73
Indiana21,180$44,0601.07
Iowa10,560$40,9801.10
Kansas6,470$43,0200.73
Kentucky26,430$38,7502.14
Louisiana2,970$36,9300.25
Maine4,610$46,9901.16
Maryland17,290$47,8501.01
Massachusetts22,210$50,2900.99
Michigan27,960$41,1001.03
Minnesota16,860$50,0300.92
Mississippi$36,290
Missouri12,260$43,9800.68
Montana4,410$43,7401.39
Nebraska4,110$46,1000.65
Nevada7,030$46,9900.73
New Hampshire3,680$48,4100.87
New Jersey20,980$48,6600.79
New Mexico4,590$44,2300.85
New York57,720$47,7100.96
North Carolina56,840$44,1901.86
North Dakota1,120$45,3900.42
Ohio29,110$44,2800.85
Oklahoma8,430$38,3300.80
Oregon16,840$50,1301.38
Pennsylvania27,600$44,9300.74
Rhode Island2,350$46,8600.76
South Carolina15,630$40,1701.10
South Dakota80$45,8100.03
Tennessee41,810$39,9402.06
Texas78,740$42,9100.90
Utah5,260$44,3300.49
Vermont2,390$48,2001.27
Virginia27,600$46,1801.09
Washington10,960$58,1000.50
West Virginia1,550$38,4300.36
Wisconsin7,760$48,3800.43
Wyoming1,110$44,4300.64

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive1-20.965
2Receptionists and Information Clerks1-20.961
3Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan30.960
4Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs30.953
5Customer Service Representatives1-20.953
6Medical Records Specialists30.951
7Office Clerks, General1-20.950
8Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks1-20.950
9Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks1-20.949
10Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service1-20.948

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and ExecutiveReading Comprehension0.760.965
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk ClerksManagement of Personnel Resources0.880.949
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and SearchersReading Comprehension0.880.943
Court, Municipal, and License ClerksReading Comprehension0.760.938
Billing and Posting ClerksMathematics1.000.935
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and AmbulanceCoordination0.870.929
ConciergesPersuasion1.000.929
Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and ClerksJudgment and Decision Making1.000.922

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, excluding software Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
Microsoft Dynamics11 of 204.3x
Zoom7 of 206.2x
Appointment scheduling software5 of 2011.5x
Alpha Software Alpha Five3 of 2046.2x
IBM Check Processing Control System CPSC3 of 2046.2x
St. Paul Travelers e-CARMA3 of 2046.2x
Filing system software3 of 2034.6x
Oracle PeopleSoft7 of 204.1x
LexisNexis6 of 204.9x
Google Sites4 of 209.2x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
SpeakingEssential skill 4.00 3.62
Active ListeningEssential skill 3.88 3.50
Service OrientationTransferable skill 3.62 3.25
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 3.50 3.12
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 3.12 3.00
WritingEssential skill 3.12 3.00
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.12 2.88
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.12 2.75
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.12 2.75
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
MonitoringEssential skill 3.00 2.88
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 2.88 2.25
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 2.62 2.12
Active LearningEssential skill 2.25 2.25
InstructingTransferable skill 2.12 2.12
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 2.12 2.12
MathematicsEssential skill 2.12 2.00
PersuasionTransferable skill 2.12 2.00
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 2.00 2.00
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 2.00 2.00
NegotiationTransferable skill 1.88 1.75
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 1.75 0.75
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 1.62 0.75
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 1.62 0.62
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 1.38 0.38
ProgrammingTransferable skill 1.38 0.38
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 1.25not rated
Technology DesignTransferable skill 1.25not rated
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 1.12not rated
ScienceEssential skill 1.12not rated
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.00not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Customer and Personal Service 4.44 4.75
English Language 4.27 3.73
Administrative 3.93 4.47
Medicine and Dentistry 3.61 3.22
Personnel and Human Resources 3.41 3.05
Computers and Electronics 3.39 3.77
Administration and Management 3.27 3.27
Economics and Accounting 3.01 3.07
Mathematics 2.89 3.21
Communications and Media 2.32 2.53
Telecommunications 2.26 1.67
Education and Training 2.23 2.16
Sales and Marketing 2.22 2.47
Public Safety and Security 2.18 1.95
Foreign Language 2.17not rated
Psychology 2.07 1.93
Production and Processing 1.96 1.67
Law and Government 1.87not rated
Sociology and Anthropology 1.82not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.79 1.51
Biology 1.69not rated
Mechanical 1.62not rated
Geography 1.56not rated
Transportation 1.54not rated
Food Production 1.51not rated
Chemistry 1.47not rated
Engineering and Technology 1.45not rated
Design 1.44not rated
Philosophy and Theology 1.44not rated
Physics 1.43not rated
History and Archeology 1.42not rated
Building and Construction 1.41not rated
Fine Arts 1.41not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Comprehension 4.00 4.00
Oral Expression 4.00 4.00
Written Comprehension 4.00 3.50
Speech Recognition 3.75 3.12
Speech Clarity 3.75 3.00
Near Vision 3.38 3.12
Deductive Reasoning 3.12 3.00
Inductive Reasoning 3.12 3.00
Written Expression 3.12 3.00
Information Ordering 3.12 2.88
Category Flexibility 3.00 3.00
Problem Sensitivity 3.00 2.88
Selective Attention 2.88 2.75
Time Sharing 2.88 2.25
Finger Dexterity 2.75 2.75
Far Vision 2.12 2.12
Fluency of Ideas 2.12 2.12
Perceptual Speed 2.12 2.12
Flexibility of Closure 2.12 2.00
Mathematical Reasoning 2.12 2.00
Memorization 2.12 2.00
Number Facility 2.12 2.00
Originality 2.00 2.00
Visualization 2.00 2.00
Arm-Hand Steadiness 2.00 1.62
Manual Dexterity 2.00 1.38
Speed of Closure 1.88 1.75
Visual Color Discrimination 1.88 1.62
Auditory Attention 1.88 1.38
Control Precision 1.88 1.25
Hearing Sensitivity 1.62 0.88
Trunk Strength 1.50 0.88
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.50 0.62
Dynamic Strength 1.25not rated
Depth Perception 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Explosive Strength 1.00not rated
Extent Flexibility 1.00not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.00not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.00not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.00not rated
Multilimb Coordination 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Rate Control 1.00not rated
Reaction Time 1.00not rated
Response Orientation 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Spatial Orientation 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated
Stamina 1.00not rated
Static Strength 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 49
  • IDX Groupcast
  • Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
  • MEDENT
  • MEDITECH Medical and Practice Management MPM Suite
  • McKesson Lytec
  • Medical condition coding software
  • Medical procedure coding software
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Publisher
  • Microsys MicroMD
  • NaviMedix NaviNet
  • Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft
  • PracticeWorks Systems Kodak WINOMS CS
  • Scheduling software
  • Web browser software
  • Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance CMS Secure Net Access Portal C-SNAP
  • dBASE Plus
  • eMDs Medisoft

Where it concentrates

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Rochester, MN3,8905.11Not available
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC9703.64$37,920
Greenville, NC1,6403.29$39,980
Johnson City, TN1,5803.12$36,570
Mayaguez, PR9102.82$28,010
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC5,8202.74$46,860
Asheville, NC3,0002.69$41,520
Paducah, KY-IL8102.60$38,340
Lexington-Fayette, KY4,6002.59$44,450
Sebring, FL4302.45$37,500

More metros, other thresholds