Vocational Index

Career

Medical secretaries and administrative assistants

Keep a medical office's schedule, records and billing running.

$45,930
Median pay
+4.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
89,200
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • 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.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+4.2%2025–35 edition+4.8%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 85,900 → 89,200 openings a year.

AI
BLS now cites artificial intelligence in this occupation's outlook: “share decreases as the increasing use of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools, allows medical secretaries and administrative assistants to perform tasks more efficiently.”

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Information & systems
6.7
People & care
4.1
Persuasion & leadership
3.2
Ideas & analysis
3.0
Objects & tools
2.3
Creation & expression
1.0

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then people & care?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $45,930 a year and 89,200 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Health AdministrationSee the degree →
  • Veterinary Administrative Services, GeneralCIP 01.8201
  • Veterinary Administrative/Executive Assistant and Veterinary SecretaryCIP 01.8204
  • Medical Office Assistant/SpecialistCIP 51.0710
  • Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/SpecialistCIP 51.0711
  • Medical Reception/ReceptionistCIP 51.0712

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →

Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.